Which has more calories, or are they about the same: a cup of apple juice, a cup of orange juice?

It's a common breakfast showdown, but when it comes to calories, these two fruit juices are in a virtual dead heat. A typical eight-ounce glass of either unsweetened apple or orange juice contains a surprisingly similar number of calories, hovering right around 110. The reason for this lies not in the whole fruits themselves, but in the juicing process. When fruits are pressed, the water and natural sugars (fructose) are extracted, while the fibrous pulp is left behind. This process concentrates the sugars, which are the primary source of calories in juice.

The key takeaway is that you are consuming the sugar from several pieces of fruit in a single glass, often without the fiber that would normally slow down its absorption and help you feel full. For example, it can take three or four medium oranges to produce just one cup of juice. While you are getting a quick dose of vitamins, you are also getting a significant amount of sugar in a very easy-to-consume form.

While they are nearly identical in calories, their nutritional profiles do differ. Orange juice is famously a powerhouse of Vitamin C, an essential antioxidant. Apple juice, on the other hand, contains different beneficial plant compounds like flavonoids and polyphenols. However, if you are simply counting calories, you can consider these two breakfast staples to be interchangeable.