Choose 100% orange juice if you want the drink to contribute carbohydrate before training: Ocado’s Tropicana and Innocent listings and Sainsbury’s own-label listing give 11.8–14g per 150ml serving. Choose a no-added-sugar squash for an orange-flavoured drink rather than as a substitute for that carbohydrate; ASDA lists 2.5g per prepared 250ml of its orange High Juice. No added sugar does not mean sugar-free, and the NHS advises limiting fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day because juicing releases sugars that can damage teeth.
If you want a small drink to contribute carbohydrate before a harder or longer session, compare the stated serving sizes of 100% juices. Ocado’s Tropicana and Innocent listings and Sainsbury’s own-label listing give 11.8–14g carbohydrate per 150ml. Juice need not replace a snack or light meal.
If flavour matters more than carbohydrate intake, a no-added-sugar squash is a different option from 100% juice. ASDA lists 2.5g carbohydrate per prepared 250ml of its orange High Juice; check the ingredients and preparation directions for the product you choose.
Check whether you can store the carton before and after opening. Ocado describes Tropicana Long Life as cupboard-stable before opening but says to refrigerate it afterwards; its Innocent juice is kept chilled.
Choose when: You want the drink to contribute carbohydrate before training; the British Dietetic Association identifies carbohydrate as a fuel for exercising muscles.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not remove the juice’s naturally occurring sugars, and the NHS advises a combined daily limit of 150ml for juices and smoothies.
Choose when: You want an orange-flavoured drink rather than relying on it for pre-workout carbohydrate.
Bear in mind: Squash must be prepared as directed; ASDA’s orange High Juice contains sweeteners and sulphites and is not 100% juice.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | Identify whether it is 100% juice or prepared squash. Compare carbohydrate for the stated serving: the Ocado Tropicana and Innocent listings and Sainsbury’s juice listing give 11.8–14g per 150ml; ASDA gives 2.5g per prepared 250ml of its orange High Juice. | I want my drink to contribute carbohydrate before training, rather than just provide orange flavour. |
| Sugar and ingredients | Read the product type, ingredient list and sugars figure together. Ocado’s Tropicana and Innocent juices state that their sugars occur naturally; ASDA’s no-added-sugar High Juice is a squash containing sweeteners. | If I am choosing a no-added-sugar drink, I still want to know what its sugars figure means and whether it contains sweeteners. |
| Juice portion | Measure the juice serving. The NHS advises limiting fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day because juicing releases sugars that can damage teeth. | A small glass fits my plans better than repeatedly topping it up without checking how much I have poured. |
| Storage and preparation | Check unopened and opened storage instructions. Ocado says Tropicana Long Life needs refrigeration after opening and use within five days, while Innocent must be kept chilled and consumed within four days of opening. Follow the dilution directions for squash. | Before an early session, I need a drink I can store and prepare as the pack directs. |
Ocado’s Tropicana and Innocent 100% orange juice listings both give sugars per serving and describe them as naturally occurring. A no-added-sugar squash is a different product type.
Check the ingredients and the carbohydrate and sugars figures for the serving you will actually drink.
ASDA lists 2.5g carbohydrate per prepared 250ml of its orange High Juice, while the cited 100% juice listings give 11.8–14g per 150ml. Those serving sizes differ, but the squash should not be treated as an equivalent carbohydrate source.
If carbohydrate is the reason for having a pre-workout snack, check the prepared drink’s nutrition panel or consider a suitable snack or light meal.
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day; it notes that juicing releases sugars that can damage teeth.
Measure the juice rather than judging the serving by the size of the glass.
Opened-life instructions differ between the cited juices. ASDA’s orange High Juice also contains sulphites and is intended to be diluted one part squash with four parts water.
Read the current pack for refrigeration, use-after-opening, dilution and allergen information before planning when to drink it.
These examples illustrate different juice and squash formats; the details apply to the named products, not every drink from each brand.
Ocado lists Tropicana Long Life Pure Smooth as 100% pressed orange juice, not from concentrate, with no added sugar.
Ocado lists Innocent Pure Orange Juice Smooth as chilled 100% fruit juice with no added sugar.
Sainsbury’s lists its 100% Pure Squeezed Smooth Orange Juice as not from concentrate, with orange juice as the only ingredient.
ASDA 50% Fruit No Added Sugar High Juice Orange is a squash for dilution, not a 100% orange juice.
Marks & Spencer lists its Collection Freshly Squeezed Smooth Orange Juice as a chilled juice.
Tesco No Added Sugar High Juice Orange is described by Tesco as a concentrated orange juice drink with sweeteners, for dilution.
This orange squash option suits a shopper looking for an orange-flavoured drink, rather than 100% juice to contribute carbohydrate before exercise.
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Choose this squash for an orange-flavoured drink, not as your carbohydrate-containing pre-workout snack. Follow the pack directions when diluting it, and check the current ingredient label if you avoid sweeteners or sulphites.
No. Ocado’s listings for Tropicana Long Life Pure Smooth and Innocent Pure Orange Juice Smooth both state that the juices contain naturally occurring sugars. Read the sugars figure as well as the front-of-pack claim.
Choose 100% juice if you want the drink to contribute carbohydrate: the cited Ocado and Sainsbury’s juices provide 11.8–14g per 150ml. Choose squash for an orange-flavoured drink rather than equivalent carbohydrate intake; ASDA lists 2.5g per prepared 250ml of its orange High Juice.
The NHS advises limiting fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day. It says a 150ml serving counts as one 5 A Day portion and notes that juicing releases sugars that can damage teeth.
Not necessarily. The British Dietetic Association says carbohydrate needs for a general fitness programme can be met through an ordinary eating pattern, while training demands affect how much carbohydrate is needed. Its exercise guidance describes a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise; a glass of juice alone should not be assumed to replace that meal.
Follow the instructions for the exact product. Ocado says Tropicana Long Life Pure Smooth should be refrigerated after opening and consumed within five days; its Innocent Pure Orange Juice Smooth should be kept refrigerated and consumed within four days of opening.