The orange juice can be just as beneficial as eating the fruit whole, provided it is 100% natural, and is not loaded with preservatives, additives, and sugar. The closest thing to eating an orange would be drinking a glass of unpasteurized, freshly squeezed orange juice. The skin and pulp in oranges do have considerable health benefits, but you can get most of the most unusual nutrients and beneficial components out of orange juice in this way.
Avoid frozen orange juice, canned orange juice, or concentrate, because with all of the processing, you lose a considerable amount of the natural goodness, and producers often turn to adding chemicals to the juice to replenish some of the lost nutritive value. Go natural and make sure you are getting all of the benefits of this miraculous and delicious fruit juice!