Orange Juice From Concentrate

Hi @brucie75

The key info is the carb value, I check this rather than sugar as I carb count and would to know how much insulin i’d need to cover the carbs, do you carb count and bolus accordingly ?

brucie75 said:

I bought a carton of Sainsbury's smooth orange juice from concentrate last week having looked at the nutritional content on the back of the carton and noticed that all the sugar in the drink was 'natural sugar from the fruit'. I thought that would be ok as sugar from the fruit is ok for Type 1 diabetics like me. However, I have since started doubting myself as I have heard that orange juice is not good for diabetics as the drink has sugar added to it. If it is,then where it is added? Surely the definition of orange juice from concentrate is squeezing the freshly-picked oranges in the country of origin, concentrating the juice ready for transportation, and then adding water back once transported. Where is the added sugar in that process?

Thank you in advance

David

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Don't you just check total carbs? I wouldn't drink it anyway (type 2)

I drink gallons of the stuff but only buy ones that say "No added sugar" like the stuff made my Robertsons, which seems to be zero across the board. Other brands are available.

As for sugar beinging added I would suspect towards the end of the process.

There's no difference in natural sugars (from the fruit) and added sugars according to the pancreas. Both need the same amount of insulin.

Orange juice is still a high sugar drink, extracted from fruit or from sugar beet, there is little difference.
I eat some fruits, as fruit, for the nutrients - but nothing as juice, as I can't see the benefit.

brucie75 said:

I've always been led to believe that natural sugar (from the fruit) is ok to have.

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Any sugar is ok to have (in moderation, just like with non-diabetics) as long as you can inject for it and not spike too high. For me it's impossible to inject without spiking over 10mmol/l for a glass of orange juice, so for me it's off the menu. (Exept for treating a hypo, or a sip from a friend's glass when low enough that I know I can manage. Or a once a year event with fresh orange juice because I want to)
Why not ask your meter if orange juice is ok for you?

Sugar is sugar in my book natural or not and i avoid it completely unless I am hypo and then it’s a godsend

Many concentrate manufacturers add High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) which they can claim to be a natural sugar, but it is very highly processed and contains zero calories This is the so called empty calories and does not need to be declared as sugar on the label since it is fructose, and the label is only required to measure and list sucrose sugar. Other forms of added sugar may be Malitol. Maltose, Dextrose, Sorbitol and other variants of sugar alcohol that again should be listed as ingredients if added, but which do not enter the sugar declaration on the label. This way manufacurers hide added sugars to products, and Malitol especially can cause bgl meter misreads. Any fruit juice from concentrate is suspect nowadays, and are industrially processed so that any goodness from the fruit is totally lost. The vitamin C has to be added back in again, and as said above, the process of pulping or juicing removes many healthy nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals that act as anti-oxidents when fruit is eaten raw.

My son worked in a juice produce factory here, and they had to wear full hazmat suits ( not just overalls but with helmets with built in filter and air purifiers) when the concentrate was emptied out of the drums and mixed with water. Once they had a small spillage when a drum leaked, and the factory was closed for over a week while they decontminated the place. Once mixed, the juice was placed in large settling tanks for 40 days before it became fit for human consumption. Once a batch was released too soon, and a local school had a major health scare with kids being rushed to hospital for stomach pumps and charcoal enemas. I know, because my kids were affected at the time.

I personally will not drink these concoctions (a) because I am a T2D and fructose is my enemy, and (2) there is nothing in them that is healthy (I also do not believe the adman's spiel and TV adverts aimed at the kids)