Why it is best to avoid all brands of conventional orange juice and how to transform organic, fresh or cold-pressed juice into a healthy breakfast beverage that doesn’t skyrocket blood sugar.
There’s no doubt that a glass of orange juice is firmly entrenched in our cultural psyche as an important part of a healthy breakfast.
Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth!
Let’s debunk the myth that a glass of OJ is the Holy Grail of a healthy breakfast, shall we?
Oranges: Heavily Sprayed and Highly Processed
Most people do not realize that oranges are a high spray crop.
In addition, the processing of the oranges at the factory into juice involves toxic chemicals as well.
Neurotoxic Pesticides
Manufacturers use sprays on citrus crops called cholinesterase inhibitors and organophosphates.
Both of these are serious neurotoxins.
When the oranges are placed into a vat for squeezing (the entire orange is used), guess what ends up in the juice?
You guessed it! Conventional orange juice is loaded with these pesticide residues.
Studies of organophosphates in cow feed have been linked to degeneration of the bovine nervous system and brain. (1)
Are these residues affecting you and your children like they are affecting the cows?
Common sense would surely dictate this as very possible. Certainly not a risk I would take with my family.
A study in Hawaii found that fruit and fruit juice consumption was the number one dietary factor in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. (2)
Researchers conducting the study speculated that pesticide residues becoming concentrated in fruit juice due to modern processing techniques is the likely reason for the link.
Acid Sprays and Solvents
As if that isn’t enough, juice manufacturers use acid sprays and solvents during processing.
These chemicals extract every drop of juice from each orange.
This includes orange oil from the skin.
There is no doubt that every glass of “healthy” supermarket OJ contains traces of these toxic residues.
Consumers are unaware of these residues as the processing chemicals almost certainly present in trace amounts (but still health altering) are not present on the label. (3)
The moral of this story is that store-bought OJ is clearly not the healthy start to the day that conventional health experts would have us believe.
OJ Shoots Blood Sugar to the Moon
How about only buying organic OJ or freshly squeezing unsprayed oranges yourself?
Fresh pressed organic orange juice retains all the beneficial enzymes, nutrient co-factors and some of the whole food Vitamin C destroyed by pasteurization.
Cold-pressed juice is not as healthy as fresh-squeezed, but still better than more pr0cessed versions.
While these options are clearly better, plain OJ is so full of sugar that it really shoots blood sugar to the moon. This risks a blood sugar crash, cravings or a headache later.
But, at least you’re avoiding the cocktail of pesticides along with the fruit juice.
What to go a step better? Keep reading!
Truly Health OJ
The easy recipe for breakfast OJ below includes the addition of healthy fat to prevent a blood sugar spike.
You may use either organic pasteurized juice from the store (acceptable) or fresh-pressed oranges (best).
Another method for the most nourishing OJ is to transform fresh-squeezed into homemade fermented orangina or healthy orange creamsicles.
Note that the recipe below is also the best method for juicing fresh veggies as well.
The addition of healthy fat not only reduces the glycemic index but also boosts mineral absorption significantly.
Breakfast OJ Recipe
Easy recipe to boost the digestibility of your morning glass of orange juice that prevents the insulin spike and sugar crash later.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orange juice preferably fresh squeezed
- 1-3 Tbl heavy cream preferably raw
Instructions
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Stir cream into glass filled with orange juice, ideally freshly squeezed for additional enzymes and nutrients.
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Drink and enjoy! It tastes just like a drinkable orange creamsicle!
Recipe Notes
Use coconut cream instead of dairy cream if desired.
(1-3) Dirty Little Secrets of the Food Processing Industry
@Abby the healthfood stores carry it in the herbal tea section.
We have three organic orange trees in our backyard. Store bought really doesn’t compare. I’ve only been able to find unpasteurized oj in one store.
If you squeeze your own, then organic is a waste of money as you will not use the peel.
I haven’t bought o.j. in years but my husband being from Florida loves it and now my daughter does as well. I don’t just let her chug glasses of it without cutting it with some sparkling water of we make homemade ice cream with freshly squeezed o.j. in it and a little coconut oil. The kids love it. 🙂
By the way, I love OJ and it really should and can be healthy .. just the stuff from the store is really not what it’s cracked up to be for the reasons I list in the post.
@Abby have you tried dandelion tea? It is very cleansing and tastes quite rich similar to coffee.
Won’t the acid in the OJ cause the cream to taste bad/ sour milk taste?
Oh my goodness! I was wondering about that strange “high” feeling I was getting from Florida’s natural oj! I felt like I was floating around by my head. It made me a little suspicious and this article just put it together. Since when do oranges make you feel high?
Hi Sarah, Do you buy the OJ from the Grove on Bearss? I saw that it’s unpasteurized. My husband used to work there in high school and attests to freshly squeezing the oranges, one by one (not sure what their process is today).