Check out my progress on OJ’s Dirty Little Secret
If you’ve been following the news today, you’ve likely heard a lot about OJ—orange juice, that is. It seems that orange juice producers like Tropicana, Simply Made, and Florida’s Natural have been keeping a dirty little secret from us, the consumers—“not from concentrate” does not necessarily denote freshly squeezed juice.
In reality, many “not from concentrate” juices may be held in large vats for months at a time, thereby losing much of their fresh orange-y taste. To compensate, flavor packs composed of orange essence (derived from pasteurization) are added to the juice. This practice is concerning to some because the orange juice is far more processed than indicated on its label.
It’s worth noting that not all brands have adopted this practice. The Whole Foods 365 brand, for example, does not use those dreaded flavor packs.
Are you a juice drinker? Do you buy it or make it yourself? And, most importantly, pulp or no pulp? I like mine pulp-y—it makes me feel like I’m getting a little more fiber, even if it is negligible 
Onto the day’s eats!
After fitting in a late morning workout, I re-fueled with a delicious bowl of oats.
For lunch, I made an old fave—Goddess Garbanzos.
Tonight’s meal featured Mama Pea’s Italian Style Meatless Meatloaf Muffins. They were delicious, as always.
Alright, I am off to watch a Christmas movie and do some wrapping. Be sure to check out the Christmas Questionnaire from earlier today!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Caroline Yoder, dietitian-to-be and all-around foodie.
Your dad has good taste in peanut butter
I heard about the juice controversy. Crazy!
I haven’t been drinking much juice recently because I don’t particularly like the thought of store-bought juice. But, since I’m getting a juicer for Christmas, that’s alllll going to change. I can’t wait!
Your meatless muffins turned out perfectly. Yum!
I am so glad to hear this info. Already a fan of Whole Foods, I will purchase my OJ there now. I am in agreement with you…. bring on the pulp!
great info on the OJ!i dont really drink bottled juices and if i get a freshly squeezed one i usually prefer carrot and beetroot. my boyfriend loves the pulpy orange juice and we usually have some in the fridge in any case! those meatballs look yummy. are they made with chickpeas?
BroccoliHut Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:10 pm
The meatloaf muffins are actually made with pinto beans! When you mash them, they take on a texture that is surprisingly similar to ground meat. Head on over to peasandthankyou.com for the recipe.
interesting — i had noticed WF stopped selling tropicana (my husband’s favorite – i actually don’t love OJ in general) a while back and i wonder if this is why! we started getting 365 instead and he seems to like it just as much. now i will try to stick to that
My sister is a huge OJ drinker! I’ll have to let her know about this
mm mini meatloaves are the cutest things ever!! yours look great!! i also love that goddess garbanzo wrap!
im not a big juice drinker, so I’m sure whatever I’m taking in (on that rare occasion) is okay….but this is good to know!!
It is crazy to hear about some of the ways our food industry works though! thanks for always providing updates on the news!!
hugs,
gc
I just found your blog and was wondering, do you show everything you eat in a day? I am only asking because I am wondering if eating healthier foods fills you up more so you don’t want to eat more. I eat a lot of junk food and want more and more.
BroccoliHut Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Hi Karla,
What I feature on the blog every day is just the day’s meals. I don’t show the snacks I have in between. However, healthy, fiber-rich foods (and protein foods too) help keep you feeling full. Try adding in some fresh fruits and vegetables to replace a few junk foods! You’ll be amazed at the difference!
Gross! And sadly unsurprising. I’ll have to tell my dad. I actually don’t drink fruit juice- I’d rather eat the fruit itself! I do occasionally splurge- and it is a splurge- for fresh veggie juice, though, but it’s only a couple times a year.
BroccoliHut Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:07 pm
I am the same way–I much prefer to eat the whole fruit than just the juice. Sometimes a cold class of OJ is pretty fantastic though:)
I usually don’t like to drink my calories (except for Kombucha) but I’m pretty addicted to orange juice on the weekends when I have time to eat a leisurely breakfast! I love another reason to support Whole Foods products!
I LOVE orange juice, but I’m a bit put off after reading your post, I hadn’t heard about this before now. Maybe I’ll start looking for the brand you mentioned that is not using the additives. On another note, I love all of your healthy meals, I’m trying to make better foods at home, so I may have to try to imitate some of your plates!