Fruits are loved by everyone since it has loads of vitamins and nutrients that help you stay healthy. One of the common fruits that most of the people prefer to enjoy more often is orange. These are really delicious and do have a lot of essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins necessary for the body’s well being. Orange belongs to the citrus fruit group called Rutaceae family. Other fruits in this species are grapefruit, pomelo, tangerine, lemon and yuzu.
Orange tree grows in tropical as well as semitropical regions. Oranges can come under two categories, Sweet and bitter. Sweet ones are mostly consumed. Some of the sweet varieties are Blood orange, Valencia, Persian and Navel oranges.
Some of the health benefits of Oranges
- Oranges are full of nutrients necessary for your body. It is low in calories, does not contain saturated fats or cholesterol. It is fully rich in dietary fiber called Pectin. Pectin helps in protecting the mucosa of the colon. It is very laxative and decreases the contact with toxic substances and also prevents the causer causing chemicals to react inside the colon. It mixes with the bile acids that are present in the colon and also help also helps to reduce blood cholesterol.
- Plenty of Vitamin C is present in Orange. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant and is very essential to the body. When you consume foods that are rich in vitamin c, the body is able to develop good resistance against all kinds of agents that can cause infection in the body. It also prevents harmful pro inflammatory free radicals from the blood.
- The minerals such as calcium and potassium are found in oranges. Potassium is a very important component present in the cell as well as the fluids of the body and it helps to regulate the heart rate as well as the blood pressure by suppressing the effects of sodium.
- Orange is a good source of B-complex. Thiamin, foliates and pyridoxine are the three B-complex vitamins. These are very important for the body.
- Vitamin A is also found in large amount in Orange. Other flavonoid antioxidants like a carotene, b carotene, B-Cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin are also present in orange. They are very popular for their antioxidant properties. Maintaining mucosa as well as the skin is done in a proper way with Vitamin A. moreover, it helps to maintain good eyesight.
- Phytochemicals are present in Orange fruit. Citrus fruits contain Naringenin, naringin and Hesperetin. Naringenin is an anti inflammatory, antioxidant, modulator of the immune system and also a free radical scavenger.
Citrus fruits are considered nutritious and filled with antioxidant properties. As per scientific studies, citrus fruits, particularly oranges are filled with lots of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that can provide great health benefits. The phytochemical antioxidants, insoluble and soluble dietary fiber in citrus fruits helps in lowering the chances of cancer and also certain chronic diseases such as coronary heart diseases, arthritis and obesity.
Storage of the Fruit
The season of orange fruit begins from the month of October and will last till the month of February. The quality of the fruit does not go down even if there are small injuries to the skin. Oranges that are fresh have usually a brighter orange shade. Make sure not to choose extremely soft fruit that have spots as they can rot fast. Keep oranges at room temperature. Refrigerate if you need to keep it for two weeks or more.
Serving the Fruit
Peel off the rind and enjoy the fruit. You can add it to fruit salads or even juice it up. Orange juice is a popular fruit drink that everyone loves to have at the morning. Make sure to consume the juice immediately after juicing it up or else it may not be taste best.
To maintain a healthy living, you need to eat a lot of fruits on a daily basis. Orange is a fruit that is rich in all sorts of vital nutrients that your body needs. So all you need to do is consume them regularly.
