The Real Reason You Should Drink Orange Juice With Pulp

Attempts to optimize health may lead you to reassess your opinion of pulp-filled jugs of orange juice. After all, pulp surely serves some purpose. Right?

Sites like WebMD share the idea that pulp brings more fiber to the beverage, which makes it more healthy, and Healthline claims that the most nutritious type of orange juice is 100% orange juice with extra pulp. However, as Heathline also shared, the amount of fiber found in pulp-filled orange juice compared to that of pulp-free orange juice isn't enough to change the nutrition label. 

SFGate explains that the fibrous part of an orange is the membrane that contains the orange segments that are juiced. So, if you want to increase your fiber intake with oranges, you should eat a whole orange. You get all the pulp as well as the skin, flesh, and other fibrous parts. Obviously, then, something else must make orange juice with pulp the most healthy.

The health benefit of orange juice with pulp is that it contains more flavonoids and other plant compounds than pulp-free orange juice (per Healthline).

Flavonoids, according to Live Science, are an antioxidant plant compounds that have been linked to longevity, better weight management, a lower cardiovascular risk, better vascular function for men with type 2 diabetes, and the prevention of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Besides orange juice, you can consume it by eating kale, strawberries, and tea.

It should be noted again, however, that the flavonoid benefits of drinking extra pulp orange juice pale in comparison to eating the orange as a whole. In addressing how oranges are beneficial to people with diabetes, Healthline highlighted the fruit's fibers and flavonoids, but cautioned against unrestricted orange juice drinking. That said, if you want a refreshing orange-based drink to get you through the ravages of the summer months, you should clearly go for orange juice with more pulp instead of orange juice with less pulp.