Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of milk versus orange juice (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in milk and orange juice:
- Milk has more riboflavin and Vitamin B12, however, orange juice contains more niacin and folate.
- Milk is an excellent source of calcium.
- Orange juice has 51.3 times less saturated fat than milk.
- Orange juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
Detailed nutritional comparison of milk and orange juice is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.
Orange juice vs milk: Which is a better morning drink?
A healthy breakfast can give you the energy you need for the day, control your hunger so that you’re not snacking on unhealthy snacks and help regulate your digestion. However, when planning your breakfast, it can be difficult to choose between what seems like two apparently healthy options. Healthy drinks like milk and orange juice, for example, both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Milk May Be More Likely to Cause a Bad Reaction
About 1 in 3 people are lactose intolerant, meaning that typical dairy milk can’t be a part of a healthy breakfast for them. Even if you weren’t diagnosed with lactose intolerance at a young age, it’s possible to develop the intolerance over time. Therefore, drinking too much milk can cause digestive problems.
However, soy milk is an alternative and it contains a greater amount of fiber than dairy milk. Soy milk isoflavanones can help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, cholesterol problems and cancer. However, while soy milk provides some vitamins, it does not provide calcium, so you should make a point of ingesting calcium another way.
Orange Juice Could Still Cause Problems
People who have throats that are easily irritated, sensitive stomachs or orange allergies can be unable to tolerate orange juice due to the high level of acidity in the juice. If it’s just irritation, you can look for pulp-free, low-acid versions, which may lessen this effect somewhat. Drinking the juice along with a healthy breakfast–i.e., not on an empty stomach–can help lessen irritation as well.
When Milk is Most Beneficial
Drinking milk as part of a healthy breakfast can have a number of benefits, including offering you a healthy dose of vitamin D and calcium, which is essential for preventing osteoporosis and building strong bones and teeth. Milk can also lower your risk for developing colon cancer, cholesterol and hypertension. At the same time, whole milk is quite high in saturated fats and can, in excess, contribute to weight gain, heart disease and high cholesterol. An easy solution to get the health benefits of milk while avoiding the potential problems is to drink only skim or 1% milk.
The Benefits of Orange Juice
Orange juice is quite high in vitamin C, which helps boost your body’s immune system. The high level of antioxidants in orange juice may help reduce your risk of cancer, and other components of the juice may help relieve arthritis pain and decrease your risk of heart attack, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The citrus in orange juice has also been shown to prevent or at least lessen the development of kidney stones. Compared to milk, orange juice is only rarely a poor choice as part of a healthy breakfast, but orange juice is lacking in calcium.
Both milk and orange juice can compliment a healthy breakfast, although neither should take the place of a full, balanced meal. It’s possible to get both in one meal by pouring milk over a healthy cereal and drinking a glass of orange juice, but you can also rotate your drink option so that you don’t get bored with breakfast.
01/6Breakfast blues: Orange juice or milk?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is the time your body completely utilizes whatever food you consume and give you energy for the day. It also breaks your eight-hour fast (while you were sleeping) and hence your cells need fuel to recharge for the coming day. It is essential to eat nutrient-dense food in the morning. A dilemma we have all faced when it comes to breakfast is what drink should we begin our day with, vitamin C enriched orange juice or calcium loaded milk? Here is what science has to say
02/6Orange juice
ORANGE JUICE: Orange juice is an excellent source of antioxidants which helps our body stay disease-free. Packed with vitamin C, orange juice protects the body from issues like air pollution, harmful UV rays and dangerous environmental pollutants like lead. One glass every day can fulfil your entire day’s vitamin C requirement.
03/6Disadvantages
DISADVANTGES: Orange juice usually comes in packeted form. This means that even though it does not include hidden sugars, it is still old. If we talk about fresh orange juice, when we juice an orange, we deplete a major amount of nutrient layer from it. Therefore, even though we do have a freshly squeezed glass, it is mostly water. Thirdly, if you believe in buying orange off the shelf, chances are it may contain taste enhancers to get rid of the bitterness in natural orange juice. Studies have also shown that orange juice is bad for teeth enamel and can ruin it permanently.
04/6Milk
MILK: Nature’s purest form of calcium is packed in milk. Numerous studies have confirmed its many benefits which include not only calcium but also protein, vitamin B 12, healthy fats to name a few. Traditionally milk has been considered equal to an entire meal due to its countless benefits which promote a healthy active body.
05/6Disadvantages
DISADVANTAGES: Milk contains saturated fats which can lead to cardiovascular diseases and even obesity. Other than this, injecting poultry animals with hormones to get more milk is a common practice now and indirectly enters our food chain as well. Until and unless you are sure of the quality of the milk you are consuming, overloading your day with milk can hurt you in the long run.
06/6Orange juice vs milk
ORANGE JUICE VS MILK: In this debate, milk wins. This is because firstly, milk is full of calcium and hence strengthen your teeth. Orange juice, as mentioned before, can ruin your enamel. Secondly, milk fills you up more than a glass orange juice due to the amount of satisfactory protein in it. A healthy protein can help you binge less on unhealthy snacks through the day. Thirdly, milk will help you break your eight-hour fast better than orange juice.
Having said that, orange juice is not a bad choice as long as you don’t solely depend on it. Having orange juice first thing in the morning followed by a healthy breakfast in an hours’ time which includes milk can help you have best of both worlds.
If you like both milk and orange juice for breakfast, here’s the one which you must have. Know the pros and cons of having milk or orange juice at the first meal of the day.
Milk and orange juice are popular choices for breakfast
HIGHLIGHTS
- Milk makes us feel full because of satisfying properties of protein in it
- 1 glass of orange juice contains enough Vitamin C for an entire day
- Milk is a better alternative to fruit juices, say experts
After a long fast of 8 hours in the night, your body needs something which is healthy, nutritious and energising. And while food options are aplenty, starting right from delicious flavoured oatmeal or cereals to egg whites, sprouts or chicken, deciding the healthiest drink for breakfast can be a tad bit difficult. And milk or orange juice are the 2 most popular choices that people prefer for breakfast. But which one of the two is healthier, or which one is filling enough to prevent snacking later in the day? Let’s find out.
There are studies that have shown that people who drink milk in the morning are less likely to indulge in in-between meal snacking or overeating during lunch. 1 glass of milk contains about 20% of proteins that you need in a day. And drinking milk in the morning makes you feel full because of the satisfying nature of protein. Also, milk contains calcium that regulates weight controlling hormones in the body.
Cons of having milk
Milk contains saturated fat which can contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diseases related to obesity among diabetics. Environmentally, non-organic milk is produced from excess feeding to animals. This process not only induces excess antibiotics and growth hormones in animals, but also pollutes waterway with animal waste.
Orange juice
Benefits of having orange juice for breakfast
1 glass of orange juice suffices for 1 day of Vitamin C which is essential for our body. Vitamin C comprises powerful antioxidants that protect our skin from the damage caused by sun rays. It also protects our brain from the adverse effects of air pollution.
Cons of orange juice
Having orange juice can be harmful for your tooth enamel. Similar is the case with other fruit juices as well. Also, juices are concentrated in sugar and hence are not suggested for people who are looking forward to lose weight. Environmentally, most orange juices are created synthetically with pesticides and fertilisers.
Which is better and why?
Experts suggest that having milk is a better alternative to fruit juices. But try and opt for organic milk as it has more Vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids as compared to its inorganic counterpart. However, you need not give up on fruit juices entirely. But gulp them down instead of having them sip by sip, so that the duration for which the juice is in touch with your teeth is short. This prevents the corrosive effect of juice while not depriving you of its nutritional benefits.
calories
Orange juice and milk contain similar amounts of calories – orange juice has 45 calories per 100 grams and milk has 50 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, milk is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to orange juice per calorie. Milk has a macronutrient ratio of 27:38:35 and for orange juice, 6:90:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Milk | Orange Juice | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 27% | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 38% | 90% |
| Fat | 35% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Orange juice and milk contain similar amounts carbs – orange juice has 10.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Orange juice has more dietary fiber than milk – orange juice has 0.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and milk does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Orange juice and milk contain similar amounts of sugar – orange juice has 8.4g of sugar per 100 grams and milk has 5.1g of sugar.