All posts tagged: juice

The Surprising Heart Health Benefits Of Orange Juice

The Surprising Heart Health Benefits Of Orange Juice

Published by Sam Flores

I’d always grown up hearing that orange juice is as bad for us as a glass of fizzy drink. While it is high in sugars, some research suggests that it might have some less-well-known heart health benefits. People who eat a lot of citrus fruits might also be at lower risk of heart disease and stroke. Why might orange juice benefit our hearts? One paper, which looked at the “significant” decrease in blood pressure linked to drinking orange juice, said: “flavonoid, pectin, and essential oils content… might have been responsible for this finding”. In that study, results were better for commercial, concentrated versions of orange juice, possibly because those had higher levels of these components. Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant that helps to rid our bodies of “free radicals”. They have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, and are linked to lower levels of coronary heart disease. Orange juice contains a specific flavonoid called hesperidin, which scientists think could be causally related to its blood pressure benefits. Another of its flavonoids, naringin, lowers the risk of …

The common fruit juice that could control blood pressure and calm inflammation

The common fruit juice that could control blood pressure and calm inflammation

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Most of us think of orange juice as a simple breakfast habit, something you pour without much thought. Yet scientists are discovering that this everyday drink may be doing far more in the body than quenching thirst. A recent study has shown that regular orange juice consumption can influence the activity of thousands of genes inside our immune cells. Many of these genes help control blood pressure, calm inflammation and manage the way the body processes sugar, all of which play an important role in long-term heart health. The study followed adults who drank 500ml of pure pasteurised orange juice every day for two months. After 60 days, many genes associated with inflammation and higher blood pressure had become less active. These included NAMPT, IL6, IL1B and NLRP3, which usually switch on when the body is under stress. Another gene known …

Influencers are drinking shots of olive oil and lemon juice. Should you? | Well actually

Influencers are drinking shots of olive oil and lemon juice. Should you? | Well actually

Published by Sam Flores

A shot of lemon juice and olive oil might be delicious on a salad – but would you drink it straight up? That’s what wellness enthusiasts on TikTok and Instagram are doing, claiming it bestows glowing skin and better digestion, and supports the dubious process of “detoxing”. Wellness shots have become “a revolving door for trends”, as dietician Lauren Manaker puts it; over the years, knocking back apple cider vinegar, ginger-turmeric blends, wheatgrass, aloe vera and carrot juice have all come in and out of vogue. Could there be real benefits to this one? We asked experts. First of all, what does it taste like? Personally, I would happily add gin to vinaigrette and call it a dirty martini, so I wasn’t too worried about the bitter pungency of combining one tablespoon each of lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. When I made myself the concoction, it went down easy. Dietician Michelle Routhenstein warned me that acid reflux can be an issue for some, due to the acidity of lemon and the peppery sharpness of …

Our verdict on Juice by Tim Winton: Australian climate novel is a hit

Our verdict on Juice by Tim Winton: Australian climate novel is a hit

Published by skeptic

The New Scientist Book Club read Tim Winton’s novel Juice in February The New Scientist Book Club moved from reading about the emancipation of a sex robot in January, with Sierra Greer’s Annie Bot, to a scorching vision of Australia many generations from now in February, with Tim Winton’s Juice. Winton’s story follows an unnamed narrator as he tells the story of his life in this over-heated world. We gradually come to understand the work he was recruited for – exacting retribution on the descendants of those who brought the world to its knees with climate change – and what it takes to survive. I thought Juice was absolutely brilliant: gripping, terrifying and beautifully written. But what did book club members have to say about it? There has been fierce discussion about this novel over on our Facebook page, much of it positive. Glen Johnson “loved” it and thought Winton did a “fantastic job”. “All of his descriptions of adaptations in a climate zone I know pretty well (I lived in Perth WA for 18 …

Minute Maid is canning its frozen juice line

Minute Maid is canning its frozen juice line

Published by Sam Flores

For 80 years, Minute Maid’s frozen canned juices have been a staple in America’s freezers. Few breakfasts and refreshment breaks didn’t include someone squeezing a cylinder of icy concentrate into a pitcher, adding water and stirring until it became a drinkable delight. But alas, Minute Maid is saying goodbye to all that, and thanks for the memories. The beverage brand is discontinuing its lineup of frozen juice concentrates, according to a Feb. 3 announcement made by its parent company,  Coca-Cola. Specific flavors include orange juice, lemonade, limeade, pink lemonade and raspberry lemonade. In response to the recent announcement, many longtime fans took to the Internet to grieve the impending loss. “NOOOOOO! This is my literal childhood,” commented one Instagram user under a post made by food blogger Markie Devo about the news. “My Mom made pies using the lemonade,” wrote another. “They are getting rid of so many childhood memories! Thank you for posting.” Another mourner cited the product’s affordability, lamenting that Minute Maid’s frozen juice concentrates were “a must” for households that relied on …

Read an extract from Juice by Tim Winton

Read an extract from Juice by Tim Winton

Published by skeptic

“On and on we go, hour after hour, over country as black as the night sky, across a fallen heaven starred with eruptions of white ash and smears of milky soot.” Tim Winton’s Juice Shutterstock / Denis Torkhov So I drive until first light and only stop when the plain turns black and there’s nothing between us and the horizon but clinkers and ash. I pull up. Drop the sidescreen. The southern air is mercifully still this morning, and that’s the only stroke of luck we’ve had in days. I know what wind does to an old fireground. In a gale, the ash can fill your lungs in minutes. I’ve seen comrades drowning on their feet. Clambered over the windrows of their bodies. I wrap the scarf over my nose and mouth. Hang the glasses from my neck. Crack the door. And step down. Testing the surface as gently as I can. Ankle-deep. To the shins at worst. No sound out here but the whine of our rig’s motors. Stay there, I call. I know …

Chopping an onion? Sharp knives can keep its juice out of your eyes

Chopping an onion? Sharp knives can keep its juice out of your eyes

Published by skeptic

Crying over chopped onions could be a thing of the past. Slicing with sharper blades and slower cuts can eliminate those painful tears, a new study finds. A chemical formed from onion juice (propanethial S-oxide) triggers those tears. Slicing the onion ruptures its cells, triggering a chemical reaction that forms this compound. Chopping can fling tiny droplets of it into the air. If they bind to sensory nerves in a cook’s eyes, they’ll cause that well-known stinging — and tears.  But slicing onions slowly with a sharpened knife cuts the number of tear-inducing droplets that were spewed. This technique could offer serious relief to everyday cooks. It also could shed light on how pathogens spread. The researchers shared their findings on Oct. 21 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This is something everybody’s dealing with,” says physicist Navid Hooshanginejad. He now works at SharkNinja, a product-design company in Needham, Mass. “Now we can also explain and understand it better fundamentally.” High-speed cameras captured droplets flying from onions as they were sliced, allowing researchers …