Many of us like their glass of Orange Juice and of course we wonder how healthy it really is. And with healthy I don’t only mean for you but also for the environment.
Lets start with the two most common preproduced Orange Juices the frozen one and the packaged one. I didn’t look at what was healthiest for you in a way of nutrients because that seems to vary a lot based on the brand so if you want the most healthy version check the label.
But what is best for the environment. Of course frozen juices take way less space than a package but to get the juice concentrate in a frozen can you need to lose most of the water and to do that of course you need to spend a lot of energy. And based on that it is clear that the packaged juices are better for the environment BUT having said that it of course only means the juice that is not made from concentrate because that is the one that is the least thinking of the environment.
But what about Juicing you own oranges?
First of all we can easily say that making you own juice is not the best way for the environment or for you. first of all there is of course the transport of the oranges transporting an orange takes more then juice. Then there is the pesticide and fertilizing issue. Oranges grown for juicing need less pesticides then the once that you and I buy in a store. And that means that less of the pesticides will end up in your body. And the last negative for doing it yourself is the waste. Juice producers get way more juice out of the orange and use the left over stuff for other means like animal feed.
The conclusion I get after reading all this is that i can best buy a packaged juice as long as it’s not made from concentrate.
Helpful Resources:
Carton vs. Canister
Pesticides and Oranges
