Orange juice is one of the iconic elements of breakfast, an essential in all hotels throughout the world, a common language in many cultures. Perhaps that is why it is so difficult to believe that, contrary to what has been thought throughout life, it is a habit that nutrition experts recommend eliminating. The fault lies with the glucose spikes.
These occur when blood sugar levels rise very quickly in a short period of time, explains Alba Coll, nutritionist at Fundación Alicia. Unfortunately, the juice of this fruit is one of those responsible for triggering these increases. "The effect of drinking a juice that we have squeezed at home compared to eating the orange, has a totally different impact on our body," says Coll.
This is mainly due to the fact that one juice contains the sugar of two or three oranges. In addition, squeezing them removes the fiber, which is very important to help glucose absorption be more sustained. "For the rest, we drink the juice quickly, which favors blood sugar to rise faster," says the nutritionist. Therefore, the advice is to consume the whole fruit during breakfast, instead of the juice.
As explained in this article, having spikes constantly throughout the day can be detrimental to your health both now and in the future. In the short term, it can affect mood swings, sleep, and hunger, one of the most notorious symptoms that can be controlled by eating the right foods. In the long term, maintaining balanced blood sugar levels can help prevent diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
So, how should you have breakfast so you don't start the day with peaks? Dr. Magda Carlas, an expert in nutrition, recommends eating every day at the same time. "The body does well with routine, regularity. It sounds boring, but it is what works for us. The body, after all, is a very precise machine." Therefore, the first thing to do is set a time for breakfast.
As for food, Coll proposes the following formula for the morning: complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and healthy fats. "These 3 basics are going to help us control blood sugar levels in the next few hours, also increasing our feeling of satiety," says the expert. Dr. Carlas adds that "foods such as toast and whole grains, mixed with dairy products or proteins" can be eaten.
Regarding the question of whether or not to drink juice, Carlas recommends "always eating whole fruit, not juices, especially in older people." This, explains the expert, is because people over 45 have a higher risk of suffering from diabetes and, therefore, should pay more attention to their diet. In other words, pastries, ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, chocolates, jams and the famous orange juice would be left out of breakfast.
