Concentrate or not-from-Concentrate? Confused

Hey guys,

Can someone please help shed some light on whether concentrate or not-from-concentrate is better? I notice this when I'm looking to buy fruit juices like OJ.

I normally get OJ with calcium and Vitamin D in it. But maybe it's better just to get plain OJ and take supplements? Don't really understand the difference...

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks! :)

Replies

  • travellernikki
    travellernikki Posts: 31 Member
    Anyone?
  • ovenbird
    ovenbird Posts: 9 Member
    Hi. Well, I guess the answer is, if you must drink juice, use concentrate. Not from concentrate has a very long expiration date on it. This means that it is ultra pasteurized. When it is done being heat treated this way, vitamin C is dead, and the liquid has lost all fruit flavor. So then they have to reintroduce the fruit flavor and vitamin C. That's a lot of messing around with a beverage you could make just by buying an orange and squeezing it. I call it frankenfood.
    I think much of the vitamin C is destroyed in the concentration process also, plus juicing allows the sugars to be readily available raising your blood sugars rapidly.
    A nutritionist told me a long time ago to just eat whole fruit and drink water. Whole fruit has all of it's vitamins, minerals, enzymes fiber etc. it will help you feel fuller longer, and it releases it's sugars more slowly.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I'm not wasting calories on juice. Eat a real orange instead. More filling and better for you.
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
    I seriously want a little cutie right now... straight out of the fridge nice and cold... mmmm.
  • Nutritionally, they are similar - juice from concentrate has simply had the water taken away to make it cheaper to transport, then added after it has been transported. However there is no point in wasting calories on juice. It was only when I started using MFP that I realised that drinking apple juice all day was actually adding another 700 calories to my calorie intake. A real fruit will probably have a similar amount of calories, and this is ok because it is good for you, but it will also fill you up.