Is Orange Juice Good for You?

Orange juice is sweet and downright delicious. Fresh-squeezed or straight from the carton, it’s a beloved beverage enjoyed beyond breakfast. But is orange juice good for you? Juice is often deemed as the less-nutritious option compared to eating whole fruit. But why? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional profile of orange juice and see what the experts have to say.

Orange Juice Nutrition

Here is the nutritional information for one 8-ounce serving of orange juice, per the USDA:

• Calories: 112
• Total Carbohydrates: 26g
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Added Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 2g
• Total Fat: 0g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Sodium: 3g
• Calcium: 27mg
• Vitamin C: 124mg

This nutrition information may vary depending on the manufacturer.

The Healthiest Orange Juice to Buy

The healthiest orange juice option when it comes to store-bought juice is fortified, 100% orange juice. It has no added sugar and has been supplemented with calcium and vitamin D—two nutrients Americans tend to fall short on. Fresh-squeezed is also a great option but often more expensive when compared to packaged varieties. Fresh-squeezed juices also don’t have the same amount of calcium and vitamin D as their fortified counterparts.

As for how much orange juice you should be drinking, health care professionals, including registered dietitians, recommend that adults consume no more than 1 cup of 100% fruit juice each day. Why? We want to encourage people to eat mostly whole fruits because they offer additional nutritional benefits. And even though the sugar in 100% juice is naturally occurring, keeping your juice habit to 1 cup a day keeps calories in check and helps prevent blood sugar spikes.

If you’re looking for a little boost of fiber, consider choosing varieties that contain pulp—they’ll supply around 0.5 to 1 gram of fiber per serving. It’s not much, but it counts toward the recommended goal of 28 grams of fiber daily on a 2,000-calorie eating plan, which is what the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend.

What about orange juice concentrate? It’s a convenient choice, but if you choose to drink concentrate, read the labels and avoid anything that says, “beverage, punch or cocktail.” These terms likely mean it only contains a small percentage of real orange juice and has added sugar mixed in—and possibly colorings—to achieve the flavor and color of real orange juice. Instead, look for fortified, 100% orange juice concentrate. The only ingredients listed should be 100% orange juice, as well as a source of calcium and vitamin D. And, remember, this is a concentrated product, so prepare the orange juice following the package directions, adding the recommended amount of water for dilution.

Health Benefits of Orange Juice

It Provides a Full Serving of Fruit

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that most females and males consume 1½ to 2½ cups of fruit each day. According to MyPlate, which is based on the DGA, 1 cup of 100% juice provides one serving of fruit. That means 1 cup of orange juice at breakfast helps fulfill about half of your daily fruit needs. Just keep in mind that the type of orange juice you choose matters, as does the amount.

It Can Help Support a Healthy Immune System

“An 8-ounce glass of fortified 100% orange juice is a delicious and easy way to get more than 100% of your daily needs of vitamin C and 15% for vitamin D,” says Jerlyn Jones, M.S., M.P.A., RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C for adults age 19 and over is 75mg for women and 90mg for men—so a glass of orange juice definitely covers your daily vitamin C needs.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), vitamin C and vitamin D help support a healthy immune system. “Vitamin C strengthens our immune system by protecting our cells, and vitamin D plays an important role in regulating our immune responses and may help immune cells fight off bacteria and viruses,” explains Jones. Orange juice also supplies other important nutrients such as potassium and folate, which promote heart health, per the NIH, as well as powerful antioxidants, including carotenoids and flavonoids. And a 2022 review in Advances in Nutrition suggests that 100% orange juice may also help reduce inflammation within the body; inflammation is responsible for many chronic health conditions, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

It’s a Kid-Friendly Way to Get Nutrients

When it comes to orange juice and kids, you may be wondering if juice is a suitable beverage for children. The increasing availability of foods and beverages with high amounts of added sugars has been a contributor to the increased prevalence of excess weight and obesity in children. Whole, nutritious foods are often replaced when these foods and beverages are overconsumed. This translates to fewer nutritive calories and more nonnutritive calories.

But what about juice? In a 2021 longitudinal study published in Public Health Nutrition, researchers found that children (ages 9 to 16) who drank 100% orange juice did not appear to have an increased risk of having excess weight or obesity. Moreover, the children who drank more orange juice also appeared to have healthier diets and lifestyle habits.

Marina Chaparro, M.S., RD, a pediatric dietitian and author of Pregnancy & Diabetes, agrees that 100% OJ can complement a child’s nutrition. Just keep the amount in mind. “Keep portions small, as growing bodies need a vast array of nutrients from a variety of different foods,” says Chaparro.

This is consistent with the 2017 guidelines the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) set forth, which no longer recommends juice for any child under the age of 1 year.

The AAP recommends:

• Under 1: no juice
• Ages 1 to 3: no more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) per day
• Ages 4 to 6: no more than 4 to 6 ounces (1/2 to 3/4 cup) per day
• Ages 7 to 18: no more than 8 ounces (1 cup) per day

It May Reduce Inflammation

In addition to the role of vitamin C in immunity, the vitamin C in orange juice may also aid in reducing inflammation in the body, according to 2021 research published in Frontiers in Immunology. The reduction in overall systemic inflammation has the potential to trickle down and provide further health benefits.

For individuals with kidney disease, orange juice is not typically recommended due to being high in potassium, but for those who are looking to prevent kidney stones, some promising research indicates the role of citrus juices, including orange juice, on reduced risk of stones. A 2021 review study published in Nutrients concluded that orange juice may exert a protective effect against kidney stone formation, but also cautions that the higher sugar content of citrus juices may also not be good for health—choose a 100 percent orange juice for the most potential benefit.

A 2022 review study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition gathered data from eight randomized control trials to look at how orange juice impacted heart health. The study indicated that participants who drank approximately two cups of orange juice per day—yes, this is more than the recommended one cup per day— lowered total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and lowered C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation in the body.

The Bottom Line

Orange juice has been studied for its health benefits, including potential benefits to heart health, decreased inflammation, and a protective role against kidney stone formation, but not all juices are created equal. At the store, read the labels and choose fortified, 100% orange juice. Avoid juice beverages, juice cocktails and juice punch, as they are basically sugar water and typically contain only a small fraction of real juice. And like all good things, enjoy your glass of sunshine—in moderation.