Is orange juice gluten free?

The same goes for every other kind of juice. Because all natural fruit is gluten free, apple juice, cranberry juice, tomato juice and all other types of fruit juice are gluten free as long as they are made from 100% real juice.

But as with orange juice, manufacturers can add extra ingredients. Although many of these are unlikely to contain gluten, it’s important to check the label to be completely sure.

Drinking orange juice every day provides several health benefits. It is a good source of vitamin C and other nutrients that help protect your body from damage and disease.

For maximum nutritional benefit, go for raw 100% orange juice rather than more processed types. The latter often have a lower nutrient content and are more likely to contain less healthy additives such as sugar. Orange juice is sweet enough as it is!

If you have time, squeeze your own juice each morning. If not, opt for a shop-bought 100% juice, preferably a freshly squeezed one, though juices made from concentrate are also fine.

Improves our immune systems: Vitamin C

Orange juice is high in vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) and a one-cup (250ml) serving of OJ should more than cover your vitamin C needs for the day.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient – one that your body needs in order to function but cannot produce on its own, meaning you need to get it from what you eat and drink.

It is vital to your immune system, helping you fight off colds and other infections, and also to forming connective tissue and healing wounds. It is also a powerful antioxidant (see below).

Healing properties: antioxidants

Oranges are a great source of antioxidants, which help protect your body from harmful free radicals.

Your body churns out a steady stream of free radicals as it performs the everyday functions that keep you healthy. These can cause serious harm if left to build up, damaging DNA and other key molecules and increasing your risk of disease.

Antioxidants found in orange juice such as vitamin C and flavonoids help mop these dangerous free radicals up, protecting us from their harmful effects.

Although drinking orange juice has a number of benefits, eating the whole citrus fruit is always better.

Whole oranges contain significantly more fibre than just the juice, which is important for keeping your gut healthy. That’s because the juicing process removes large quantities of fibre along with other important nutrients.

Whole fruits also tend to contain fewer calories and less sugar than juice. What’s more, the sugar in whole fruits is absorbed more gradually into your body, producing a less extreme blood-sugar level change than drinking a glass of juice. This is because the fibre in the whole fruit acts as a buffer to the sugar, allowing your body to absorb it in smaller amounts at a time.

Whole fruits are also more filling and take longer to consume than juice, lowering your risk of overeating and gaining unwanted weight.

That said 100% natural juice is still a healthy drink as part of a balanced diet – just avoid drinking too much at any one time and make sure you consume more whole fruits than juice.