the stuff in cartons just doesn't taste good. when i lived in spain, they had these orange squeezing machines in every cafe and restaurant. i would get it as a treat, or as a quick breakfast on the go. but the junk in the box here - no thanks.

I start every morning with an orange. I've never liked orange juice much at all. Oranges are getting pretty expensive now, but I still see them as a necessary splurge. I really can't live without citrus fruits, but always eaten whole, never as juice.

Nope. Too sweet for me - if we're having juice, it's usually something "weird" from Knudsen like blueberry or cherry juice - and cut 50/50 with water.

I've looked into this at length and found that OJ is the Cadillac of fruit juices, health-wise.

Too much apple or grape juice assuredly packs on the pounds, but due to the high concentration of flavonoids -- a type of antioxidant -- in orange juice, the juice's naturally occurring sugars do not have the same fattening effect.

According to this 2007 study, "Orange juice, despite its high caloric load of sugars, appears to be a healthy food for diabetics due to its mother lode of flavonoids...."

While this study is specifically about diabetic intake, it still holds true for all of us that orange juice doesn't cause the same kind of sugar rush as many other juices, and -- more importantly -- OJ provides other important health benefits.

Basically, if you're going to drink juice, OJ is a great choice.

I drink it on the weekends only.

My father-in-law is a doctor and told me that it was just like drinking a cup of sugar.

I love juice, but I know that it is slightly better than liquid candy and consider it a treat. You're better off eating an orange, or whatever fruit your prefer.

We drink fresh-squeezed almost every day; anything else is not worth the calories. It is not breakfast without fresh-squeezed orange juice!

i drink a small glass in the afternoon when i take an iron supplement - vitamin c helps the body absorb and process iron.

konar -- I *am* in Spain right now (Barcelona), and cannot find fresh-squeezed orange juice anywhere...

Like the post's author, I grew up drinking boxed OJ regularly with breakfast, but once I learned a bit about nutrition, it began to seem much less necessary. It helps that my boyfriend can't drink it because of gastric reflux.
Fresh-squeezed is a whole different story -- I love the stuff! But I think I'd still rather eat an orange.

I'm not sure juice is worthless. If it's the only vitamin C available or the only that your rugrats will consume, well yes, buy it, drink it, enjoy it. But pieces of fruit are the better way to go, whether orange, apple, grape, whatever.

Meh. I prefer not to drink my calories.

ABreadADay.com

Sigh. Things like this are so confusing...my memory is that recently a study was completed which showed that daily OJ intake led to a higher risk of developing diabetes, yet above, akay mentions that it is healthy for diabetics.

Just google "orange juice study diabetes" and you'll see the study I'm referring to.

I drink the Simply Orange juice on occasion. It's basically fresh squeezed, and it tastes great! But either store bought or fresh squeezed, I only drink it on occasion.

my nutritionist was thrilled when i told her i hate fruit juices of all kinds and never drink them. She definitely recommends not drinking the calories. Eat the fruit itself, you're better off.

I very rarely drink OJ any longer. It's not something I buy at the grocery store and maybe will buy it if I am hosting a brunch and will serve along with sparkling wine. Even then, I am more likely to buy peach puree along with some Prosecco.

I like OJ and If I'm sick, I'll buy it but otherwise, I don't even think to.

@akay, the thing I got out of that article was not that OJ was good for you but rather that it was better for you than drinking the same calories worth of glucose water. Water sweetened with saccarine (I'm guessing as a control group) and fructose water had the same effect as OJ and no one is going to claim those are good for you.

It sounded to me like the study was actually to see if OJ caused an inflamitory response and if it didn't, what in OJ prevented the inflamitory response. That doesn't really have a good ring to it, though, so the author picked a snappier title that didn't actually have much to do with the research. It's a pretty common practice and it drives me crazy.

Freshly squeezed when I'm out to breakfast as a treat.

I prefer making smoothies with frozen berries, etc. at home.

I've never been an OJ at breakfast person, but I like to take a glass after dinner as dessert.

I love orange juice, but don't drink much more than diet coke and water. I'll have a couple of delicious glasses once in a great while. Extra pulp, please!

I could never drink orange juice in the morning. It made me physically ill- made my stomach sick, but not acid reflux. I could drink it after eating though.

I just like whole oranges better. So much of the orange juice out there is really boring anyway. That said, orange juice and Campari is one of my favorite cocktails.

Maybe this is just a leftover habit from being a poor college student, but I never EVER work juice into my grocery budget. It's not even a thought! Occasionally if it's significantly marked down I'll buy cranberry or grapefruit, but I don't think I've had orange juice in my home more than a handful of times in the past few years.

I like freshly squeezed orange juice, but I'd rather just eat the orange than go to the trouble of squeezing it for juice, and I very rarely buy any juice because I find it too sweet and too expensive. And I don't like to interrupt my morning caffeine ritual with any superfluities.

Occasionally I will have orange juice; I prefer Naked's OJ. I'm more likely to have guava juice because I enjoy it with a bit of goat cheese in the morning (love the sweet and tangy mixture on my tastebuds). I prefer cranberry juice and peach schnapps in my brunch champagne cocktail.

I'm actually not a big orange juice person. I much prefer grapefruit juice, or pomegranate juice. I even enjoy pure cranberry juice. Having said that, I rarely buy any of it because we're on a tight budget, and spending money on items that won't fill us up seems wasteful.

i only drink it when sick or hungover.

I like a little shot of orange juice before going to the gym in the morning...for some reason it strikes this weird balance for me of making me not feel faint and starving, yet not feel like I'm going to be sick (which is what happens if I have an actual breakfast prior to going to the gym).

I drink it when I'm sick or maybe at brunch if I don't want tea. At home, I tend to focus on a wholesome breakfast (and yes, fruit instead of fruit juice) -- so I'll eat whole grain cereal or oatmeal with bananas or raspberries or in season fruit and milk - and that is my breakfast.

Gives me crazy heartburn, especially in the morning. So, none for me thanks.

I really like orange juice, especially the Simply Orange stuff with no pulp. I'm not much for breakfast, and I'm not usually awake then anyhow, but I do drink the stuff whenever it sounds good. Not daily, but we always have some.

(And while I like OJ by itself, I like it best mixed with pineapple and tonic water.)

I prefer pink grapefruit and I dilute most of my juices with Perrier.

Fizzy tasty. Mmmm.

I don't like buying drinks (except wine or milk). It just seems sort of pointless and takes up too much room in the refrigerator.

I think of it as a treat, if it is freshly squeezed. I only rarely buy it in the carton (if I have a bad cold I love the way it feels in my mouth & throat and don't worry then about the calories).

But I don't really like oranges to eat as is, the oil in the skin tends to chap my lips. So I squeeze the ones I get in my veg/fruit box delivery along with any other random citrus lying around (grapefruits, limes and/or lemons usually). I drink a tiny glass and freeze the rest for later drinking or cooking. Fresh OJ is great with a splash of dark rum.

I honestly don't like oranges or orange-flavored foods all that much (unless it's bergamot oil in my tea). I can tolerate orange juice, but I don't drink it in general. I'd rather drink coffee or tea for breakfast. The only time I buy it is when I'm sick with a cold and want the Vitamin C in an easy to drink form.

We have been drinking OJ or Grapefruit juice for well over a decade. Every morning we have a small glass. We always avoid juice that is "from concentrate". We also have fruit with our juice as breakfast.

For me as someone who would avoid breakfast because I couldn't process the cereal and toast type heavier food I would then over eat at lunch and if lunch got delayed I would have a headache.

I believe that is is our daily intake of juice and fresh fruit (in a broad array ) all year long we have had between us 4 colds/flus in the last decade.

Works for us.

We have a 4yo, and have not had juice in the house (except when sick to make sure there is enough fluids consumption). Instead, we eat lots of whole fruit all day long. Her favorite drink is water and favorite snack is fresh fruit. Of course, a lot of her friends drink a lot of juice (ugh - hard for me not to freak out at the amount of juice boxes!), and so juice becomes a "special treat" and the sugar high can be worse than a cookie.

I used to drink OJ every morning with breakfast, but when I started tracking what I ate/drank I didn't find the calories worth it. When I stop drinking it I discovered I didn't crash from the sugar at 10am. So none for me unless I'm sick and then I crave OJ. I still drink juice, but I've learned to love V8.

we usually keep some OJ in our fridge, but i guess it doesn't get plowed through very quickly (why we buy the box carton stuff). we'll throw it in smoothies (probably about 8 oz per three smoothies). we'll give a 4 oz shot of it to our daughter on sleepy mornings (she swears it wakes her up). and nothing washes down a yummy fried egg sandwich quite like some OJ. seems harmless.

on the rare occasion that i do drink fruit juice, i'm always unsatisfied. it's super sugary, crashes my system, and doesn't have the filling fiber and heft of whole fruits, so i don't drink it. it is delicious, though.

but i agree with leepert; the nutritional guidelines regarding fruit juices (or any food, really) are supremely confusing. it almost seems like someone's doing it on purpose. i was just looking it up the other day--the most recent 'food pyramid' guidelines claim that a healthy 24-year-old woman should eat about 2 cups of fruit a day. as far as i can tell, they do not distinguish between dried fruit, fruit juice, or whole fruits--all count toward the recommended intake. nutritionists (and common sense) seem to say that whole fruit is way better than dried fruit (which often is sweetened and has less fiber) or fruit juice.

for me it illustrates how frustrating and contradictory nutritional advice can be...and how easy it is to get overwhelmed trying to figure out something as basic as what food to put in your mouth.

I drink 8 oz every morning with breakfast, mostly because I drink the Calcium fortified kind. I have a tendency towards calcium deficiency (long story) so I try to get as much calcium as I possibly can. Since milk bothers my allergies, I drink fortified OJ, and use it to take my vitamins.

Juice is a gateway drug for soda. I very rarely drink it myself and when I have kids it'll be a treat not a regular thing. What's so wrong with water?

I have always hated orange juice, but sometimes I get a powerful craving for it (usually when sick). I would say I probably drink a half-gallon per year. Oranges, though-- I love those.

My husband buys the calcium kind occasionally, and then I'll drink it cut with water - mainly to fulfill a fantasy of the whole "part of this complete breakfast" scene.

I read in some triathlon magazine that you can make your own sports drink out of water, OJ and a little salt. I'm sure you can Google a recipe.

I've previously subscribed to the whole-fruit/veg philosophy, but we got a juicer for our wedding and I've been using it daily with beets, carrots, ginger, celery, what have you. I FEEL really virtuous about it, like I'm getting all kinds of vitamins and antioxidants in a glass and growing younger by the day - am I kidding myself?

I feel like apple juice is a waste of space.

empty calories for sure!! only thing I drink with OJ is champagne--on very special occasions.

I haven't bought OJ in ages. it's just too easy to drink so many calories, and I often find it too sweet in the morning.

also, to this day, my mom says one of her biggest regrets with regards to what we ate as kids is allowing us to drink lots of juice.

I crave fruit juice when I have a cold. Otherwise, I never drink juice of any kind. I occasionally use orange juice in quick breads, but otherwise never consume it because it's too sweet.

That being said, I think orange juice is good cut with diet ginger ale. Using a ratio of 25% juice to 75% ginger ale usually works well, and it's nice if you throw in a slice of orange as well.

I had a very, very bad hangover in college from too many screw drivers. So whenever I have plain OJ now, I feel like gagging. So I stay away from the stuff. I'd really rather eat an orange. Unlike most people here, I think it's too bitter/sour to drink in the morning anyway.

I like orange juice, but I prefer grapefruit juice.

I do enjoy OJ in the summer though, mixed half-and-half with tonic water or club soda, over ice, with a little bit of lime juice.

I always thought that "empty calories" means something with calories and no particular nutritional benefit. Certainly Orange Juice may have fewer nutritional benefits than a whole orange, but surely can't be as bad as soda. In the winter as well, surely having a glass of orange juice is better than swilling down the pharmaceutically produced vitamin C supplements?

My in-laws gave us a juicer many years ago, and I never found a use for it until my naturopath suggested juicing carrots for the beta-carotene, to help my skin. I can definitely ingest more carrots as a juice than just as whole vegetables, and while I'm missing out on the fibre, I thought the payoff of more vitamins and beta-carotene would outweigh the negatives. Does anyone have any other perspectives on this?

ivyr: you can work the pulp into recipes (carrot bread! or a thick tomato sauce, for example).

also probably part of the benefit is that the juice is FRESH and so the vitamins, enzymes, etc don't have time to degrade.