Beware of the Orange Juice!

“Warning: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems. Allergy information: This product was manufactured in a facility that processes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grasses, and seaweeds. Contents: oranges.”

Believe it or not, this is printed on a bottle of organic fresh-squeezed orange juice! No similar warning exists on pasteurized orange juice, which probably should read something like “Warning. This product has been pasteurized and therefore does not contain beneficial bacteria that can prevent serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems. Pasteurization has also changed the naturally occurring sugars into something much more likely to adversely affect blood sugar balance.”

The harmful bacteria referred to would be destroyed by adequate stomach and pancreatic enzymes (note, though, that I do not generally encourage using enzyme supplements on a regular basis since doing so does create a dependency over time. Rather, I prefer to see people increasing their intake of raw and cultured foods, which naturally contain enzymes, and using herbs such as safflowers and ginger, which support the stomach in producing enzymes on it’s own.) and by the right balance of beneficial bacteria!