Drink This to Help Undo a Heavy Meal

When you overdo it and down a day's calories in one sitting, your body's inflammatory response processes go into overdrive. But here's a way you might counter it: Drink orange juice.

In a recent study, people who had eaten a supersized fast-food breakfast experienced a much milder inflammatory response in their bodies when they drank OJ with the meal.

High-Calorie Catastrophe
Whatever you do, don't pair that overindulgence with a soda. When researchers compared the effects that three different beverages had on the way bodies process big, fatty, inflammation-triggering foods, sugar water was the worst of the bunch. It seemed to exacerbate the inflammatory response. Plain water fared somewhere in between orange juice and sugar water, but it has the added benefit of being calorie-free. (Find out why orange juice is good for your joints, too.)

The Fix: Citrus Bioflavonoids
What makes orange juice so good at clamping down on the inflammation and oxidation that big, fatty meals cause? The heroes are likely two important citrus bioflavonoids -- naringenin and hesperidin -- which are found in oranges. These powerful antioxidants help tamp down body processes that can damage blood vessels and lay the groundwork for big health problems, like atherosclerosis and heart disease. (Pulp or no pulp? Here's a great health reason to buy your juice with lots of bits.)

Need more reasons to drink orange juice? Check out this small sampling of things it can do for your body:

• Cushion your creaky knees. Discover the cirtus bioflavonoids your joints crave.
• Protect against pounds. Here is the key citrus ingredient that helps keep unwanted weight away.

Previously published on 05/03/2010