Nope, no diabetes! I went through a bunch of testing for insulin resistance and glucose tolerance to test for PCOS and I'm all good. I actually have those little juice glasses with an orange on them, which is pretty funny! And yes, I never drink it without eating some protein and fat. I appreciate that some feel juice has no place in a healthy diet, however I want something I can live with forever and cutting everything out isn't sustainable. I usually drink it in the little orange glasses, but I'm going to try putting it in a standard cup and watering it down. Thanks!
No diet is going to work for long that forces you to give up something you really, really love. It sounds like OJ is really important to you, so go for it, in moderation.
I recommend that if you drink juice it should be part of a meal with fiber and protein (no other carbs). The protein and fiber will usually cushion the blood sugar spike and soften any cravings later in the day. Definitely figure out how small a glass is enough. And yes, an actual orange would be so much better.
That said, I know that my husband would lose his mind if I ever tried to take his morning glass of OJ away, so I get where you are coming from!
Sorry, but this kind of extremism and preachiness grates on me a bit. If it works for you, that's great, but others (like me) do very poorly with extreme measures and much better with a "nothing forbidden" approach to eating. It's just juice, not arsenic.
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I find that cinnamon is good for cushioning the blood sugar spike from having carbs. Google it and read about it: you may want to try it. They sell cinnamon in capsules.
A real orange has the same taste, the fiber and pulp are intact and it will fill you up. Juice has no place in a healthy diet.
Any food can have a place in a healthy diet, even twinkies and poutine (the "unhealthiest " foods I could think of) if you have the self-control, knowledge, and willingness to adjust your diet accordingly.
I don't drink undiluted juices even with a meal, because I'm diabetic and they're not worth their carb and calorie counts to me. I prefer the whole fruit, but even fruit tends to increase my hunger and appetite too quickly, so I'm careful.
When I do eat or drink fruit, I like to go for volume. For example, instead of orange or grapefruit juice, I will peel, deseed and section the citrus fuit and put it in a blender or food processor, along with ice and liquid (tea, Crystal Light, diet soda, fizzy mineral water, seltzer, or plain water).
My favorite variation lately is grapefruit sections (about 1/3 of a grapefruit), ice, and diet Squirt or Fresca (grapefruit flavored diet sodas).
I can't have it too often, because I'm on meds that interact with the grapefruit.
Sometimes I freeze the fruit and use less ice.
Other fruits work well too. Frozen strawberries and diet lemonade or Crystal Light margarita or fresh lime and seltzer make a very nice frozen daquiri.
I've gotten out of the habit of drinking my fruit this way, so I need to pull out the Rocket blender and start using it again.
Not everyone needs to bulk up their food (and beverage) volume, but I find it very helpful to maximize fiber, water, and volume, while minimizing the calorie to volume ratio.
The more I can eat/drink for my calorie, the better I do overall.
I remember those little juice glasses. My mother called them cheese glasses because some kind of cheese spread came in them. So cute. Makes me want juice. LOL!
I think your glass of orange juice is fine the way you describe it. I am 100% with the folks who say not to deprive yourself of a favorite food or beverage. JMO, of course.
Maybe you could water it down? I take Benefiber daily in watered down apple juice and it tastes just as good! I actually prefer it watered down, otherwise it's too sweet for me.
I don't drink OJ, but I eat small clementine oranges every day. The ones available now are very fresh and sweet. I usually have one at breakfast and after each meal. Add a glass of cold, filtered water, and it's very refreshing and healthier than plain juice.
Sorry, but this kind of extremism and preachiness grates on me a bit. If it works for you, that's great, but others (like me) do very poorly with extreme measures and much better with a "nothing forbidden" approach to eating. It's just juice, not arsenic.
F.
I agree with everything you're saying but your last comment made me laugh because of this
Only you can decide what you're willing to live with or without. Some things are worth keeping in your diet and others are not. I'm not willing to part with half & half for my coffee. Everybody says to put skim milk in it, no way. No freakin way. I only drink ONE cup of coffee a day in the morning and I want to enjoy it. It just has to work into my calories and nobody can change my mind about it. Personally I've given up all juice because I'm not willing to spend any calories on drinks (aside form the coffee). I'd rather eat my calories.
I too believe that orange juice is not particularly healthy, that stripping fruit of its fiber provides little benefit so don't kid yourself that juice is much healthier than a glass of soda. However if you can spare the calories and it doesn't trigger any sugar cravings then go for it. To me a glass of orange juice is like a slice of pie, sure there's fruit in it but it's still dessert. So just be realistic and don't cloud yourself with illusions that you are doing it to be healthy, just admit it's something you don't want to give up and be real.
Juice never thrilled me all that much. If you like the flavor of OJ, why not try an orange/citrus flavored tea instead? That's what I've started doing. Fruit teas are amazing!
I hesitate to comment because I feel there's plenty of room for juice in a healthy diet...i love homemade apple, carrot, cucumber juice...I like smoothies (sometimes along the lines Kaplods describes) made with fruits and veggies as well.
I say if you're going to obsess more about giving something up then have it and adjust for it. If you want to wean yourself off you could have it every other day, but if it keeps you from going off the rails by all means keep doing what you're doing.
I'm a morning coffee girl, I've been working on less flavored creamer, I know talk about something that has no placed in a healthy diet...so I started out measuring, now half creamer half. 1/2 and 1/2, so less sweet, I'll get to all 1/2 and 1/2 for awhile then probably sneak back in the creamer. Not sure why I rambled on about that
Oh Kelijpa, I could talk about coffee all.day.long. So feel free to continue! Good stuff.
I did what you're doing, and weaned myself off my "creamer" completely (sweetened almond milk --> unsweetened almond milk --> now nothing). Still adore my coffee without it, but it was definitely a transition. I still have the sweetened stuff occasionally as a treat. So good!
