Re: Coke vs orange juice

From: Hagrinas Mivali (remove.to.reply_at_sbcglobal.net)
Date: 11/18/04 

Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 15:15:16 -0800

ladygrinningsoul wrote:
> I read recently that a glass of (regular, not Diet) Coke has less
> calories than an equivalent glass of orange (or even grapefruit)
> juice. Is that possible? I thought one can of Coke had eight tea
> spoons of sugar in it.

That's not accurate. An 8 oz glass of orange juice has 31 grams of sugar
and a 12 oz Coca Cola has 30 g, according to nutritiondata.com.

However, it's not quite a fair comparison. The orange juice has more
vitamins, and potentially more fiber. If it's not fresh squeezed, the fiber
and vitamin benefits are most likely lower.

The sugar is likely to get absorbed into the blood stream almost as fast
from either juice or cola, so the fact that it's fructose does not help any.

Another factor is that acidic foods slow down the absorption of sugar, so
grapefruit juice will be slightly better in that respect than OJ.
Grapefruit also has less sugar than oranges, ounce for ounce.

The best bet is to eat a fresh orange instead of its juice. You get more
fiber and, less sugar than a glass of OJ. Plus, you are less likely to eat
3-4 oranges, while you may need that many for juice.

If you eat an orange after a balanced meal with moderate amounts of
unsaturated fats, and reasonable amounts of protein, the sugar should not be
a problem, as long as you are not overeating. The fats and protein will
also slow down the absorption of sugar.

Oranges are good for you, but all things must be done in moderation. If
somebody decides to switch from coffee to OJ for health reasons, and then
puts on 15 lbs and has blood sugar problems, I'd suggest that it's a factor.