Editor:
I am writing on behalf of the Florida Department of Citrus in response to the Nov. 20 article by columnist Paul Martiquet on the topic of good health (“Good health means more than weight loss”).
As a health professional, I appreciate your effort to inform readers on the virtues of having a balanced and healthy diet full of vegetables, fruit and whole grains. However, I wanted to comment on the article’s mention of choosing whole oranges over 100 per cent orange juice.
While it is important to consume a variety of whole fruit, 100 per cent orange juice should not be dismissed; it is an easy way to complement fruit intake and has many benefits including:
• It contains no added sugar, only natural sugars present in the juice when squeezed from the orange.
• It provides a substantial number of nutrients per calorie including vitamin C (a 240mL glass provides 100 per cent or more of the recommended daily allowance), folate, thiamin and potassium.
• It is associated with better overall diet quality in adults and children.
Of course, like all foods and beverages that provide calories, 100 per cent fruit juices should be consumed in appropriate amounts that fit with an individual’s overall diet.
These benefits and more are reasons why I firmly believe it’s important not to overlook all of the nutritional benefits 100 per cent orange juice can provide.
For more information and research, see FloridaJuice.com
Gail C. Rampersaud, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
