Juicy Oranges are Full of Health Benefits for You

Delicious, juicy oranges are a healthy treat!  They are for sure a very healthy superfood as they help fight cancer, fight viral infections, relieve constipation and much more.

This fruit is more than a delicious treat, it is a very healthy superfood meaning it is packed full of nutrients and health benefits. They are popular with athletes because they can be easily eaten for a burst of energy. I enjoy eating one or two a day most of the year for the same reasons and I am not an athlete.

Now time to learn all the amazing benefits of this fruit.

13 Health Benefits of Oranges

1. Helps Prevent Cancer

They are rich in citrus limonoids, proven to help fight a number of varieties of cancer, including that of the skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

2. A Glass of Orange Juice a Day Could Prevent Kidney Stones

Drinking orange juice regularly prevents kidney diseases and reduces the risk of kidney stones.

“Orange juice could potentially play an important role in the management of kidney stone disease and may be considered an option for patients who are intolerant of potassium citrate,” says researcher Clarita Odvina, MD, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

3. Reduces the risk of liver cancer

According to two studies in Japan eating mandarin oranges reduces liver cancer.  In one study at the National Institute of Fruit Tree Science they surveyed 1,073 people in the Japanese town, Mikkabi, in Shizuoka, who ate a high number of mandarin oranges. In another study, a team at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine studied 30 patients with viral hepatitis who drank a drink containing carotenoids and mandarin juice for a year.

They found no liver cancer in the group, compared to a group of 45 patients with the same condition who did not drink the juice..

4. Lowers Cholesterol

Being full of soluble fiber, they are helpful in lowering cholesterol.

5. Helps the Heart to Function

They are full of potassium an electrolyte mineral that is responsible for helping the heart function well.  When potassium levels get too low, you may develop an abnormal heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia.

6. Risk of Disease is Lowered

This fruit is full of vitamin C which protects cells by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals cause chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease.

7. Fights Against Viral Infections

Studies show that the abundance of polyphenols in an orange protects against viral infections.

8. Relieves Constipation

They are full of dietary fiber which stimulates digestive juices and relieves constipation.

9. Help Create Good Vision

They are rich in carotenoid compounds that are converted to vitamin A and help prevent macular degeneration.

10. Regulates High Blood Pressure

The flavonoid hesperidin found in orange helps regulate high blood pressure and magnesium in them helps to maintain blood pressure.

11. Skin is Protected

They are full of beta-carotene which is a powerful antioxidant protecting the cells from damage which also protects the skin from free radicals and prevents the signs of aging.

12. Alkalize the Body

Although they are acidic before you digest them, an orange contains many alkaline minerals that help to balance out the body after they are digested. In this respect, they are similar to lemons which are one of the most alkaline foods available.

13.  Smart Carb

Like all fruits, they have simple sugars in them, but the orange has a glycemic index of 40.  Anything under 55 is considered low.  This means as long as you don’t eat a lot of them at one time, it won’t spike your blood sugar and cause problems with insulin or weight gain. They make a great snack, much better than junk food snacks.

Nutrients Values Of Oranges:  One Cup (165 gms)

• Calories in an orange: 81
• Fiber content (g) 4.0
• Folate (mcg)        56
• Potassium (mg)  274
• Water (%) 87
• Protein (g) 2.0
• Sugar (g)    14
• Vit. A (mcg) 408
• Vit. C (mg) 97
• Vit. B1 (mg) 0.1
• Vit. B2 (mg) 0.1
• Vit. B6 (mg) 0.1
• Vit. E (mg) 0.2

Nutritional SuperFood

They have so many benefits and I consider them a wonderful superfood.
They have a wealth of nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin A precursors, calcium, potassium, and pectin.

The calories in an orange are only 62.5 on average but more important for weight management and health are its many other powerful nutritional benefits. Discover why athletes, weight loss participants, and everyday people choose the orange as their snack of choice.

Orange Nutrition Benefits For Health and Weight Management

• One orange contains all the vitamin C your body needs for the day. Vitamin C from natural food sources helps your liver to detoxify.  A healthy clean liver is essential for weight management.
• Calories in oranges are low and they contain no saturated fats or cholesterol.
• This fruit is rich in dietary fiber, pectin, which is very effective in persons with excess body weight.  We use them both in our Weight Loss BootCamp and our Spring Cleanse Bootcamp.  Toxins are stored in fat cells. If you are toxic you cannot lose that last 10 pounds no matter how you starve your body since your body is protecting you from those toxins by keeping them in storage.
• Orange fruit contains a variety of phytochemicals. Hesperetin, naringin, and naringenin are flavonoids found in citrus fruits.
• They contain generous amounts of vitamin A precursors, and other flavonoid antioxidants such as alpha and beta-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein.
• An orange contains minerals like potassium and calcium.  Minerals are essential for acid/alkaline balance.  A body that is too acidic cannot lose weight since that acid is considered a toxin that the body must store in its fat cells.

“An orange a day will help keep wrinkles away!” ~ Roylin Picou

Interesting Trivia Facts

• They are the largest citrus crop in the World
• Brazil produces more of this fruit than any other country.
• The navel orange is named after the belly button shape near the bottom!
• About 25 billion oranges are grown each year in America.
• In the 18th Century, British sailors took sauerkraut and citrus fruits on the ships to prevent scurvy
• Florida produces about 70% of the total U.S. crop, and 90% of its production goes to make juice.
• In Queen Victoria’s day, they were given as Christmas gifts in England.
• Did you know that the colour orange came from the orange fruit?
• The two most common varieties are navel and Valencia oranges.
• Orange is the world’s third most favourite flavor after chocolate and vanilla.

History

• The orange was first grown in South East Asia, northeastern India or southern China and was first cultivated in China around 2500 BC.
• In the 1st century AD, Romans brought young orange trees all the way from India to Rome.  North Africa began growing oranges in the 1st century AD.
• Christopher Columbus brought orange seeds in 1493 across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain’s Canary Islands to Haiti, where he planted orange orchards.
• By 1518 they were introduced to Panama and Mexico and a little later Brazil started growing orange trees.
• America’s first orange trees were planted in Florida in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon.

Growing

They are tropical to semitropical, a small evergreen flowering tree growing to about 5 to 8 m tall.  Being evergreen means they produce flowers and fruit all at the same time.

They are either sweet or bitter but as we know most of us eat only the sweet ones. The most popular sweet varieties are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, and blood orange.

Warm weather can cause the orange skin to re-green but it will still taste good.

Orange peel contains many volatile oil glands in pits. Interior flesh is composed of segments, called carpels, made up of numerous fluid-filled vesicles that are actually specialized hair cells).

Selection and Storage

• In the northern hemisphere, orange fruit season begins from October and lasts until February so this is when you will get the best oranges.
• The bigger the navel in an orange, the sweeter it will be.
• Buy fresh fruits that are firm, yet yield to gentle pressure but rebound immediately.
• Fresh ones have bright color, no wrinkles on the skin, and feel heavy for their size.
• Avoid overly soft ones with spots and mold.
• They can be kept at room temperature for a week or so but keep well for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Keep them loose in the fruit container and place in the cool area away from excessive moisture as they tend to get mold infection early.
• Store freshly squeezed orange juice inside the freezer compartment for later use.
• Store dried orange zest in a cool, dry place in an airtight glass container away from moisture.
• The moro orange is also called a blood orange because the pulp is bright red.

“Orange strengthens your emotional body, encouraging a general feeling of joy, well-being, and cheerfulness.” – Tae Yun Kim

Preparation and Serving tips

It is simple to eat fresh orange anytime or anywhere. Do wash them under running water to remove surface dirt and any pesticide residues then peel the skin, and yum!

Making fresh orange juice at home is so easy and much better than those commercial drinks that may contain preservatives and artificial colouring.  An orange will produce more juice when warmer, so always juice them when they are at room temperature.  You can roll the orange under the palm of your hand on a flat surface which will also help to extract more juice. Also, it is best to drink the juice at room temperature.

The outermost part of the rind grated using a zester to produce orange zest, which is tasty.  It is important that you use an organic orange as this is where all the pesticides will be. There is no orange waste because it is all biodegradable.

Being a lover of oranges you may want to check out Did You Know That Yummy Mandarin Oranges are Good for Us?

Here Are a Few Recipes With Oranges In Them For You:

Spinach Salad with Oranges and Pecans – This spinach salad is a sneaky way to get that powerfood into your diet. Also, all the ingredients are very healthy. It is an easy to make and very tasty; everyone I have served it everyone loves it.

Green Orange Spinach Smoothie -This is a super easy green smoothie to make with only 2 main ingredients so not much shopping to do. I love a green smoothie for breakfast.

Power Spinach Salad with mandarin oranges -This spinach salad is full of healthy greens that is one of the highest alkaline-forming foods and spinach is full of vitamins A, K, and D. This is a very simple and tasty salad to make and is full of powerfoods; everyone I have served it to enjoys it very much.

Orange Spring Cleanse Green Smoothie -This is a super easy smoothie to make an excellent way to start a spring cleanse day.

Orange Honey Syrup -This Orange Honey Syrup is a much healthier syrup then the usual syrups on your pancakes or waffles. It has less honey in it because of the orange juice which makes it delicious. The zing of the orange make is very tasty.

Carrots with Orange -A surprising but delightful combination. This recipe is also ridiculously easy to make.

Don’t Just Think About Nutrition – Live It

It’s easy to find a lot of health information on the web but very few actually apply it to their lives.

That is why we created the Weekend Web BootCamps.  From the comfort of your home, you are guided through two days of perfect eating and food preparation.  After the weekend you feel confident that you know how to eat properly.  Your body remembers how good it felt too and so you will be encouraged to improve your eating habits.

Favorite BootCamps Are:

Weight Loss BootCamp:  Using food combining to boost your metabolism and shed the pounds.

Spring Cleanse BootCamp:  A cleanse that you can enjoy almost any time of the year to get your body ready for life.

Acid/Alkaline Balance BootCamp:  Balancing your body on this level offers a host of health benefits.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Get healthy tasty vegan gluten-free recipes and useful lifestyle tips sent to you twice a month

• Your email address*