Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Let's Be Brutally Honest: Orange Juice Pulp Is Oh So Burdensome

I am not one to constantly drink my calories. I believe water is the best thing to drink when you're thirsty, as it contains zero calories and quenches your thirst. I will, however, have an orange juice in the morning in order to boost my intake of Vitamin C, calcium, and it gives me the caffeine spurt to start the day as coffee does to many others. What I mean by drinking a nice, refreshing glass of orange juice in the morning is drinking a nice, refreshing glass of smooth and sweet orange juice. NOT orange juice with pulp. Yes, I am one that likes things in a natural state, but orange juice is something I prefer without the pulp. Then again, I don't like seeds in a watermelon or crusts on a white bread (when it's the only option, because I'm not into white bread so much), but pulp is not something that suits my interests.

For the record, pulp are the little objects that shed off of the orange when being eaten. When you're drinking orange juice, you can feel these flaky objects entering your mouth that feel like something that is thicker than dandruff and thinner than finger or toenails. They are oh so burdensome to your morning glass of OJ and take so much away from your experience of having a refreshing morning.

This led me to the question of whether or not pulp was good for you or it didn't make much of a difference at all. It turns out... pulp is really good for you... which is unfortunate for people like myself who just can't stand it. Pulp has a nutrient in it known as a flavonoid. This nutrient has been known for fighting diseases such as diabetes or cancer. Then again, as it goes, things that don't taste so good end up being better for you than things that don't, reasonable for the fact that keeping healthy should be challenging. Drinking orange juice with pulp in it joins this list of things that are healthier in the more burdensome state.

There are plenty of examples in which taste doesn't judge nutrition level. Broccoli tastes like a cold tree when you eat it raw, but juicier and more delicious when you cook it. Chocolate is another food that is more bitter than sweeter in its authentic state. We all comment on how chocolate is so sweet, but it actually tastes like dirt when it contains more cacao. This is also referred to as "dark chocolate." Milk chocolate, which is sweeter, actually contains more sugar and cocoa butter that isn't as natural. White chocolate, which is the sweetest of the bunch, contains no real chocolate.

Back to what I was saying about pulp, it's healthier, but it's not really better. Orange juice is something that should be refreshing during the morning and little objects swimming in your drink and are ready to rub against your mouth and tickle your throat are only going to crash your party. There are plenty of other less burdensome ways in which you could fight diseases such as diabetes and cancer. I'm perfectly fine with having broccoli, because at least I know what I'm in for.

1 comment:

  1. Haha Josh, you have a colorful way of describing the "burdensome little objects", but I for one love pulp! It is akin to drinking real, fresh-squeezed orange juice, straight from the tree, compared to drinking something that resembles Sunny D, with no excitement, just bland texture, like water. The pulp lets you know it's from a true orange...and I feel a bit of Florida (or wherever) when I drink it. Thanks for the morning laugh though! :)

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