Sunny D is an American based drink that is currently available to purchase in over 100 countries worldwide. The drink was a fan favorite in the early 90s and mid-’00s. While the drink is still available to purchase today it’s not as popular as it once was.
Sunny D is a gluten-free drink that’s suitable for vegans. Sunny D should be refrigerated once opened but otherwise can be stored in a cupboard or pantry. The drink has had a controversial past once sending a girl to the hospital as she’d turned yellow as a result of drinking too much.
It’s safe to say that circumstances like this one have caused a lot of people to ask a lot of questions about the drink. I did a whole lot of research (and drinking of Sunny D) to create this ultimate guide to the super tasty drink!
Does Sunny D Need To Be Refrigerated?
While Sunny D may be in the refrigerator in the store it does not need to be stored in the refrigerator unless it’s been opened.
While storing the drink in the refridgerator makes it chilled and refreshing this isn’t compulsory and Sunny D wont go off by being stored elsewhere.
The best place to store a carton of Sunny D outside of the refrigerator is in a cool environment away from direct sunlight. I store mine in the pantry but a cupboard would work just as well.
To get the chilled experience without storing the full carton of Sunny D in the refrigerator I then often serve a glass with ice.
In all cases, Sunny D should be consumed prior to the best before the date which will be stamped on the bottle.
Does Sunny D Have Vitamin D?
Sunny D contains 2.5 micrograms of Vitamin D per 250ml.
The Mayo Clinic currently suggests 800 IU of Vitamin D per day for adults, and 2.5 micrograms is 100IU when converted.
As a result, 250ml of Sunny D contains 1/8th of your recommended daily intake of vitamin D. This is a similar amount of Vitamin D to 2.5 eggs or 45g of tuna.
What Does The D Stand For In Sunny D?
The D in Sunny D actually stands for delight.
That’s because the original name of the drink was Sunny Delight. It was then abbreviated for a marketing campaign in the late ’90s and became so popular as a result the name simply remained.
It’s unknown whether Sunny D will ever go back to being called Sunny Delight in the future.
Is Sunny D Gluten-Free?
All varieties of Sunny D are gluten-free.
Is Sunny D Suitable For Vegans?
All varieties of Sunny D are suitable for vegans.
Is Sunny D Healthy?
One glass of Sunny D contains a day’s worth of your recommended vitamin C. However, this same glass also contains 16g of sugar, around half of which has been created using artificial sweeteners.
This combined with the natural food coloring that gives Sunny D it’s bright color. Many people believe Sunny D is the same as orange juice, however, Sunny D isn’t as healthy as pure orange juice due to the chemicals which are added into the ingredients of the drink.
Can Sunny D Turn You Yellow?
In 1999, a British girl was taken to the hospital after her skin turned yellow from drinking an excessive amount of Sunny D.
Sunny D can turn you yellow due to the beta-carotene ingredient which is also found in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, spinach, and squash.
Consuming too much of any of these ingredients which contain beta-carotene will turn you yellow, however, it’s not dangerous. If you adjust your diet then you should notice your skin coloration changes back to normal after a couple of months.
What’s The Difference Between Sunny D And Orange Juice?
Orange juice is the juice of an orange. In some cases, things are added to the juice when it’s sold in packages at the supermarket such as water, sugar, and vitamins. Although there’s a way to ensure you’re getting a pure orange juice (or as pure as possible).
On the other hand, Fooducate reports that Sunny D contains; water, corn syrup, and 2% or less of multiple different citrates and acids.
I think the key difference is, Sunny D contains a lot of different ingredients whereas orange juice just contains one (or at least less than 10).
Is Sunny D Made With Real Oranges?
Sunny D contains 2% (or less) concentrated juices which include oranges. Concentrated orange is created from real oranges so, it could be argued that Sunny D is at some point made from real oranges but the amount per bottle is likely to be less than 1%.
Does Sunny D Contain A Lot Of Sugar?
One 240ml bottle of Sunny D contains 16g of sugar. Around half of this amount is created using artificial sugars and sweeteners.
Today the US government recommends that men consume no more than 37.5g of sugar daily and women no more than 25g.
In which case, 240ml of SunnyD is 64% of a women’s recommended daily sugar intake and around 42% of a man’s recommended daily sugar intake.
How Many Flavours Of Sunny D Are There?
There are currently 14 flavors of Sunny D which are either in production or have recently ended production. They include;
- Original
- Tangy Original
- Smooth Orange
- Orange Strawberry
- Orange Mango
- Orange Peach
- Watermelon
- Fruit Punch
- Peach
- Mango
- Blue Raspberry
- Cherry Limeade
- Lemonade
- Orange Pineapple
Hi all! I’m Cora Benson, and I’ve been blogging about food, recipes and things that happen in my kitchen since 2019.