Who doesn’t adore citrus fruits? They are delicious, a great source of Vitamin C, and super healthy. They can be eaten whole, or you can drink their juice. Citrus fruits like lemon can’t be eaten whole as they are very sour. Orange can be sour too, sometimes. When you want to make juice from these fruits, you will buy the fruits in specific quantities.
For this, you should know how much juice is in one orange and lemon is? There are many different sizes of these fruits available, so the quantity depends. You can get 3 tablespoons of juice from one average-sized lemon. You can get 4-5 tablespoons of juice from one average-sized orange.
While making something delicious, the recipe demands some ingredients that can be confusing to get. Like your recipe said, 1 cup orange juice. Now, how many oranges are going to give you that quantity? Because extra oranges left can be ruined if you don’t eat them.
The quantity of oranges you will need for one cup of juice depends on the type of orange you are using. Some are big while some are small so the quantity will vary. Four types of oranges are grown in Florida, namely Pineapple, Hamlin, Washington Navel, and Valencia. California has Washington Navel and Valencia.
It’s orange, so why name it pineapple? It’s because of its fragrance. It has amazing color and quality. They come between December to February. It’s flat at the ends, whereas the diameter is 3 inches. Its color is red-orange. It’s seedy, so it’s available mostly in juice form.
This is a seedless type of orange. They get along in cold temperatures; they grow in Florida. Its diameter is also up to 3 inches. The color might not be that good, and its skin is smooth and thin. Though their color is not bright, they are very juicy. 2-3 oranges will give you one cup of juice.
Commonly called navel oranges, they are pretty big, more than 3 inches in diameter. The color is yellowish-orange. Its taste is slightly bitter, so not everyone might prefer it. However, if you are okay with the taste, one orange can fulfill your 1 cup of juice requirement.
One of the sweetest oranges globally, Valencia, comes from March to June. They are very juicy so you will need only a few of them, like 1-2 for 1 cup of juice.
The juicing process also affects the number of oranges you will need for 1 cup of juice. There are two processes to get orange juice- juicer and blender. Both processes give you the exact amount of healthy nutrients.
However, blenders give more juice quantity compared to juicers. This is because blenders convert everything to liquid while juicers separate the pulp and liquid.
Whether you need lemons to make lemonade or your recipe demands 1 cup of lemon juice, here’s your solution. An average medium-sized lemon will give you 2.5 to 3 tablespoons of juice. To get a whole cup of juice; you’ll need 5 to 6 lemons.
We are telling based on average, so it can vary if you have a different sized lemon. In addition, several factors can affect the quantity of juice you’ll get from each lemon.
There are mainly two types of lemon varieties grown in the United States: Lisbon and Eureka. They look very similar but have their differences too.
- Eureka lemons have a thick neck but only at one end and have stiff and thick skin.
- On the other hand, Lisbon lemon has a sleek and smooth body with a little neck. When you hold a Lisbon lemon and squeeze it, you’ll notice that the lemon gets squeezed without any effort.
Both of these types are useful and taste the same. The difference is that you’ll get more quantity of juice from Lisbon than from Eureka. Because of Eureka’s thicker skin of Eureka means there’s less flesh to get juice from inside.
These two factors also affect the quantity of juice you’ll get from one lemon. The longer you have a lemon kept with you, the more it will shrink and lose its juice. Juicing method will also make an impact on the juice quantity.
Squeezing lemons by hand gives you less juice, especially with thick-skinned lemons like Eureka. You’ll hardly get 1.5 tablespoons. A countertop citrus juicer or handheld reamer will give you a little extra juice. It will make your 1.5 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons.
As we told you earlier, the exact quantity of juice you’ll get from a lemon depends on the size of the lemon. On average, lemons are small-sized, so you’ll get roughly 1.5 tablespoons from squeezing half a lemon. However, if your lemon is not fresh, it means you bought it a few days ago; it might have lost some of its liquid.
So to know exactly how much juice your half-cut lemon will give you, you can expect the quantity to be very low. To get the most of that half lemon, avoid squeezing it by hand. Use a handheld reamer instead. It will remove the seeds for you too, and might give you more than 1.5 tablespoons of juice.
Well, if you have a large lemon, you will get around 2.5 tablespoons of juice from half of it. So that’s a good quantity.
Look at the size of your lemon; is it small, medium, or large? A small lemon gives around 3 tablespoons of juice, so two lemons will give you 6 tablespoons of juice. A medium lemon gives around 4 tablespoons of juice, so two lemons will equal 8 tablespoons of juice. Whereas a large lemon is supposed to yield 5 tablespoons of juice, two lemons will give 10 tablespoons of juice!
If your recipe says this many tablespoons of lemon juice, get the lemon according to that. However, if your recipe says this quantity of lemon is needed, make sure what quantity of juice is needed. Without that knowledge, you might make your dish either too sour or less sour.
Orange juice is a delicious drink enjoyed by many people, especially fitness lovers worldwide. It’s high in important nutrients like Vitamin D, Vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. However, despite the numerous health benefits of orange juice, you should drink only 240 milliliters (8 ounces) of orange juice in a day.
Drinking more can affect your teeth as it’s a citrus fruit. It’s a natural juice but can impact you negatively when you drink too much orange juice.
You must be thinking that homemade orange juice is natural, so why not drink it every day. As we told you earlier, drinking too much orange juice can affect you negatively. But you might wonder what’s the exact quantity of too much orange juice.
Soft drinks like soda have added sugar to them. Whereas orange juices have sugar naturally present in them. Of course, orange juice will be a healthier choice than soda. However, our body reacts to the sugar from orange juice the same way it does from soda, so drinking orange juice daily can be harmful.
Here are some low points of extra drinking orange juice daily:
Yes, the taste of orange juice is very pleasing to your tastebuds, but it can lead to weight gain too. An 8-ounce cup of juice has 110 calories! It is a high sugar content juice, and it doesn’t satisfy your hunger. So don’t drink only orange juice for breakfast. Instead, have some meal with it so that your body’s process of digesting sugar slows down.
As per a BMJ Study, daily consumption of fruit juice like orange juice increased the risk of diabetes by 21%. Whereas 23% risk was associated with Type 2 diabetes. Our body fastly digests juice fluids, so the sugar content is digested too.
Orange juice has a bunch of advantages that you shouldn’t ignore because of some negative points. Keep your daily intake of juice to the recommended amount, and you can enjoy the below-mentioned benefits.
Orange juice is home to many viral nutrients, including potassium, Vitamin C, and folate. An 8-ounce juice can provide:
Magnesium: 6% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Carbs: 26 grams
Potassium: 10% of the RDI
Calories: 110
Folate: 15% of the RDI
Protein: 2 grams
Vitamin C: 67% of the RDI
Orange juice is the main source of Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant when doubled and plays a key part in the central immune system.
A water-soluble vitamin also helps in gum health, bone formation, and wound healing.
Orange juice is affluent in folate also. Folate supports fetal growth and nourishment and is required for DNA synthesis.
And how can we not mention that it’s rich in mineral potassium that protects against heart disease, prevents bone loss, and regulates blood pressure?
Kidney stones are little mineral deposits that get stored in your kidney. The common symptoms include blood in urine, severe back pain, and nausea. Orange juice can help increase the pH of urine, making it alkaline. When the pH of urine is more alkaline, it helps prevent kidney stones.
Interesting fact: Orange juice is more effective than lemonade in preventing kidney stones.
When you consume orange juice once a day, it reduces your risk of having kidney stones by 12%.
The antioxidants present in orange juice help preserve health by restricting oxidative damage. Antioxidants are important to maintain good health. They can also help protect against chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Orange juice is rich in antioxidants like ascorbic acid, flavonoids, and carotenoids. As a result, orange juice is one of the top providers of antioxidants in an American’s average diet, along with vegetables, berries, supplements, wine, and tea.
Heart disease is a very serious condition and affects millions of people worldwide. Drinking orange juice can help in reducing risk factors associated with heart diseases such as elevated cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Long-term consumption of this juice will also help in lowering bad LDL cholesterol. Side by side, it increases good HDL cholesterol levels too.
Acute inflammation is normal as its the way the immune system reacts against infection and disease. However, long-term inflammation at high levels can mean an underlying chronic disease.
Drinking orange juice will help decrease inflammation and other problems connected with it. It consists of anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce levels of certain inflammatory markers associated with chronic disease.
A delicious beverage, orange juice can be used in many recipes as well as drunk wholly. Whereas lemon juice is mostly used in recipes, but one can make a tasty lemonade on a hot summer day. You can even make amazing mocktails or cocktails using both the juices or individually.
Both of these citrus fruits are packed with benefits and are a great source of vitamin C.
Depending on various factors, the quantity of juice you’ll get from each fruit might vary. For example, if you’re getting orange juice or lemon juice for the first time, it can be tricky to know the exact quantity of fruits you should buy. But once you get a hold of it, it will be a child’s play for you.
You’ll be able to keep all the factors in mind to get most of the juice from an orange and a lemon.