ORANGE
Healing properties and nutritional value
Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C, beta-carotene and B vitamins. Oranges should be eaten with membranes separating the fruit particles – they are a good source of fiber and flavonoids enhancing the effect of vitamin C. Orange oil has calming and antidepressant properties.
Oranges are fruits whose medicinal properties and nutritional values were first appreciated by the hybrids of southern China, where they come from. In Europe, its pro-health effects have been known only since the 16th century. The sweet-sour fruits are eaten raw, they are squeezed orange juice or used in preserves. Essential oils are obtained from the peel of fruits, flowers and young shoots. Candied orange peel is used in confectionery and confectionery.
Oranges – properties. What kind of vitamins in oranges?
Orange has a lot of beta-carotene and vitamin C and water. Water perfectly flushes out toxins from the body, and vitamin C is a valued antioxidant that neutralizes aggressive oxygen particles, e.g. due to stress, smoking, alcohol, not enough sleep. One orange covers the daily requirement for vitamin C. Red oranges, apart from beta-carotene, also produce anthocyanins, which are responsible for the characteristic blood-red color of ripe fruit.
Oranges also provide a lot of B vitamins (including folic acid) beneficial to the skin and nerves, and valuable potassium, which determines the correct blood pressure and heart rhythm. They contain substances that block the first stage of the formation of cancer cells and compounds with antibacterial properties.
Oranges are rich in dietary fiber, which improves the metabolism. Eat oranges together with the separating membranes and the white part of the peel. There are flavonoids that enhance the effect of vitamin C. That is why vitamin C of natural origin is better absorbed than its synthetic counterpart.
Oranges are a rich source of polyphenolic compounds, both phenolic acids and flavonoids. Oranges contain compounds such as flavanones, hesperidin, naringenin. The content of total polyphenols in orange juice is 370-7100 mg / l, for comparison – in apple juice 23-250 mg / l. A glass (250 ml) of orange juice can provide 100 mg to 1.8 g of total polyphenols.
10 Healthy Benefits of Orange:
- They strengthen immunity
Being a citrus fruit, oranges are rich in vitamin C, which is essential for boosting the immune system. Vitamin C promotes the production of white blood cells that fight viruses, bacteria and other foreign invaders.
In addition, oranges contain loads of polyphenols that protect against viral infections. Additionally, they provide vitamin A, folate, and copper, all of the nutrients that play a key role in boosting immunity.
Eat a few oranges or drink a glass or two of orange juice daily to boost your immune system.
2. They rejuvenate the skin
The high vitamin C content of oranges makes them the perfect fruit for a clean and flawless skin. This antioxidant vitamin fights skin damage from sun exposure and environmental pollution. In addition, it plays a key role in collagen formation, thereby improving skin elasticity and reducing wrinkles.
To reap the skin benefits of this citrus fruit, you can eat oranges, drink orange juice, and apply orange juice to your skin.
You can even use the peel of the fruit to make a mask. The citric acid in the peels brightens the skin and also opens up clogged pores.
3. Lower cholesterol
Oranges contain pectin, a soluble fiber that traps cholesterol and eliminates it from the body before being absorbed into the bloodstream. In addition, they contain flavone hesperidin with lowered cholesterol.
In fact, research shows that the flavanones present in orange juice lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and also increase the good to bad cholesterol ratio.
So, include oranges as well as fresh orange juice in your diet to combat cholesterol problems. Drinking two glasses of fresh orange juice a day will also help lower high blood pressure.
4. A healthy heart
Rich in antioxidants, folate, and potassium, oranges are excellent for heart health. Antioxidants, especially vitamin C in oranges, protect the arteries against free radicals and prevent cholesterol oxidation.
In addition, oranges contain phytochemicals that prevent platelets from sticking together and strengthen blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells.
Folic acid or vitamin B9 processes the amino acid homocysteine in the body. High homocysteine levels can cause a heart attack, regardless of your cholesterol level.
Potassium is another important nutrient for heart health as it plays a key role in heart function and muscle contractions. In addition, studies have shown that the flavonone hesperides present in fruit and juice affect the protective vascular effect.
5. They protect against rheumatoid arthritis
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking one cup of freshly squeezed orange juice a day can help reduce your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Being a good source of the antioxidant vitamin C, orange juice helps reduce swelling and inflammation in your joints. In addition, its phytonutrients zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin protect against oxidative damage that can cause inflammation.
6. They prevent kidney stones
The high vitamin C content of oranges is also excellent for kidney health. It helps reduce the risk of developing kidney stones by increasing the level of citrate in the urine, which neutralizes acids and inhibits the formation of kidney stones, reducing uric acid and calcium oxalate crystallization.
In fact, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center suggest that drinking a glass of orange juice daily may be more effective in preventing kidney stones.
7. Losing weight
Oranges are an amazing food for weight loss. The high fiber and vitamin C content of the fruit promotes weight loss. Fiber makes you feel full and helps you eat less throughout the day, while vitamin C turns glucose into energy and helps you burn fat. Oranges are an excellent low-calorie and fat-free source of the nutrients needed for a healthy body.
For best results, start your day with an orange and also drink a glass of fresh orange juice every day.
8. They prevent cancer
Oranges also help prevent cancer because of their antioxidant compounds such as hesperidin and naringenin, which fight free radicals.
Zeaxanthin and carotenoids in particular protect against various types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. Compounds called limonoids in the fruit fight cancer of the mouth, breast, lung, skin, stomach and colon.
Parents will also want to know that a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that consuming oranges, orange juice, and bananas in the first two years of life can reduce the risk of developing childhood leukemia. In addition, orange juice contributes to chemoprevention against cancer of the breast, liver and colon.
9. Keep eyes healthy
Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are excellent for the eyes because they are rich in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A that is essential for your eyes.
In addition to beta-carotene, oranges contain other carotenoids that are converted in the body into vitamin A. Carotenoid lutein and zeaxanthin protect against chronic eye disease.
Additionally, the vitamin C and other antioxidants in oranges reduce the risk of developing cataracts and slow down the progression of age-related macular degeneration.
10. They fight aging
Oranges are considered good anti-aging fruits because they contain antioxidant compounds that fight free radicals that contribute to aging and a host of degenerative diseases.
Research suggests that vitamin C is an essential antioxidant vitamin in this regard. In fact, one glass of orange juice can provide one-fifth of your body’s daily vitamin C requirements.
Good to know
Oranges – nutritional values (per 100 g). How much calories do oranges have?
Caloric value – 47 kcal. A medium-sized orange (150 g) is therefore about 70 kcal.
Protein – 0.94 g
Fats – 0.12 g
Carbohydrates – 11.75 g (including simple sugars 9.35 g)
Fiber – 2.4 g
Minerals
Phosphorus – 14 mg
Potassium – 181 mg
Sodium – 0 mg
Calcium – 40 mg
Iron – 0.10 mg
Magnesium – 10 mg
Zinc – 0.07 mg
Vitamins
Vitamin B1 – 0.087 mg
Vitamin B2 – 0.040 mg
Niacin – 0.282 mg
Vitamin B6 – 0.060 mg
Folic acid – 30 µg
Vitamin E – 0.15 mg
Vitamin C – 53.2 mg
Vitamin A – 225 IU
100 g of orange juice contains 45 kcal – a glass of juice (250 ml) is about 112 kcal.
100 g of candied orange peel equals 309 kcal.