7 health benefits of oranges

The benefits of oranges for health include improving the immune system, the appearance of the skin, the health of the heart or the cholesterol levels. But it can also help reduce the risk of more serious illnesses. Keep reading to discover them!

Sweet and juicy oranges are a delicious and healthy snack and a great complement to other foods. An average orange contains around 85 calories and has no fat, cholesterol or sodium content, which makes it a very healthy and essential food to complete the 5 pieces of fruits and vegetables that are recommended to consume daily. And of course, we cannot forget its well-known vitamin C content..

To select the best oranges on the market, it is recommended to choose those oranges that have a softer texture in their peel and that are firm. Those that are heavier relative to their size will have a higher juice content than those that are lighter in weight. The smallest ones will be juicier than the largest ones, as well as those with thinner skin..

Article index

• 1 Benefits and health properties of oranges
  • 1.1 1- Helps the immune system
  • 1.2 2- Improves the appearance of the skin
  • 1.3 3- Reduces cholesterol
  • 1.4 4- Reduces cholesterol
  • 1.5 5- Helps reduce diabetes
  • 1.6 6- Improves digestion and helps in weight loss
  • 1.7 7- Helps improve vision
• 2 Dismantling the myth
• 3 Incorporate oranges into your diet
  • 3.1 Orange mouse
  • 3.2 Orange polo shirts
  • 3.3 Orange smoothie
  • 3.4 Orange cake
• 4 Some curiosities about oranges

Health benefits and properties of oranges

Next, we explain in detail how oranges work in your body and your organism and what positive benefits it brings to your health.

1- Helps the immune system

Most citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C, as are oranges. This vitamin protects cells as it neutralizes free radicals, which can lead to chronic diseases such as cancer or heart disease. In addition, they help improve the immune system, which protects us against infections and viruses..

2- Improves the appearance of the skin

Vitamin C also helps maintain glowing skin, and helps fight sun damage and pollution. It is a vital source of collagen and helps reduce and prevent wrinkles, as well as improving the overall texture of the skin..

3- Reduces cholesterol

The fiber found in oranges helps reduce cholesterol levels, as it absorbs excess cholesterol from the intestine and eliminates it. A 2010 study published in the journal Nutrition Research showed that drinking orange juice for 60 days lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad cholesterol") in people with high cholesterol levels.

4- Reduce cholesterol

The components of oranges, among which we find fiber, potassium and choline, help improve the state of your heart. Potassium, which is an electrolyte mineral, is vital in allowing electricity to flow through your body, which keeps your heart beating. Lack of potassium can lead to arrhythmias or what is the same, an irregular heartbeat.

According to a 2012 study, people who consumed 4,000 mg of potassium per day had a 49 percent lower risk of death from heart disease compared to those who consumed only about 1,000 mg of potassium per day.

Oranges are also high in folic acid, which is beneficial in reducing homocysteine ​​levels, a cardiovascular risk factor.

5- Helps reduce diabetes

The fiber found in the peel and orange segments can help reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 1 diabetes and improve blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes..

6- Improves digestion and helps in weight loss

Oranges are low in calories and rich in nutrients, with a low glycemic index, which make it an ideal food to fight obesity, which can lead to other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and problems cardiovascular.

The glycemic index is a measure of how food affects a person's blood sugar levels. Foods with a high glycemic index (such as white bread) cause glucose levels to rise rapidly after eating, while foods with a low glycemic index (such as vegetables and legumes) cause sugar levels in the blood increase more slowly and remain more constant over time.

7- Helps improve vision

Oranges are rich in vitamin A, a nutrient that contains carotenoids such as lutein, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, which can help prevent age-related eye degeneration.

Vitamin A also helps your eyes absorb light, and improves night vision. Furthermore, the American Optometric Association (AOA) reports that vitamin C may help reduce the risk of cataracts and may slow the progression of macular degeneration..

Dismantling the myth

From a very young age, we have grown up believing that you had to consume orange juice quickly so that the vitamins do not escape, but what is true in this?

According to Spanish Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics "There is a false belief that vitamin C in homemade orange juice is not very stable, when only extreme conditions (example: heating it to 120º) considerably decrease said vitamin, which is perfectly preserved in the juice up to 12 hours later, although the taste can become more bitter ".

Juan Antonio Calzado, technical director of the Echevarne Laboratory, made an analysis of the vitamin C found in orange juice. He isolated this component and checked the vitamin levels after three, six and twelve hours. The result confirmed that vitamin C remained at the same level at the end of the analysis as when the orange was squeezed..

Incorporate oranges into your diet

These are some original recipes that will help you include orange in your daily menu:

Orange mouse

Are needed:

• 1 can of condensed milk
• 3 Natural yogurts
• 3 oranges
• Orange zest

Squeeze the juice from the oranges and add the condensed milk, the three yogurts and the orange zest. Beat it in a blender glass for 5 minutes uninterrupted. Serve it in glasses, decorate with orange and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.

Orange polo shirts

Are needed:

• 3 cups of almond milk
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 2 Oranges divided into segments
• ½ Cup of strawberries, cut into wedges

Combine all ingredients in a mixer and blend until smooth. Pour the contents into frozen molds. If you don't have them, you can use glasses and introduce spoons that work like sticks. Add the fresh pieces of orange and strawberries. Lastly, put them in the freezer for 4-6 hours. And ready!

Orange smoothie

Are needed:

• 1 Banana
• 100 g strawberries (about 15)
• 2 oranges
• 1 Greek yogurt
• Ice

Squeeze the juice from the two oranges. Add all the chopped ingredients to a blender glass and beat until all the ingredients are integrated.

Orange sponge cake

Are needed:

• 1 natural yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 3 glass measures of flour yogurt
• 2 glass measures of sugar yogurt
• 1 measure of glass of oil yogurt
• 1 orange
• 16 g of baking powder equivalent to 1 tablespoon
• Butter

Preheat the oven to 180º while you prepare the cake batter. Grate the orange peel and reserve. In a bowl, add the chopped orange, the sugar, the eggs, the zest, the oil and the yogurt and blend until it is a homogeneous mixture.

Add the sifted flour and yeast to this mixture and mix it again until it is integrated. Pour the mixture into a mold previously greased with butter (to facilitate the removal of the cake from the mold) and take it to the oven for about 35 minutes.

A trick to know if the cake is ready is to prick it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it means that you can remove it and if not you will have to leave it for a few more minutes. Take it out of the oven when ready and let it rest for about 30 minutes or until it is tempered. You can decorate it with orange slices on top.

Some curiosities about oranges

• Oranges originated around 4000 BC. in Southeast Asia, from where they were exported to India.
• Oranges are a hybrid between grapefruit or Chinese grapefruit (which is green or yellow) and mandarin orange..
• The orange tree is a small tropical evergreen tree with flowers. Grows from 5 to 8 meters.
• The fruit appeared before the color. The word "orange" is derived from the Arabic "Naranj" and came to English as "narange" in the 14th century, gradually losing the initial "N".
• The word "orange" was first used as the name of a color in 1542..
• Oranges fall into two general categories: sweet and bitter. Sweet varieties are the most commonly consumed.
• Bitter oranges (Citrus aurantium) are often used to make marmalade, and their peel is used as a flavoring for liqueurs.
• Arab, Portuguese and Italian merchants introduced sweet oranges to Europe around the 15th century, after discovering the fruit on their travels to Asia and the Middle East..
• Renaissance paintings showing oranges on the table during "The Last Supper" are wrong. Oranges were not grown in the Middle East until the 9th century.
• Christopher Columbus planted the first orange trees in the Caribbean islands at the end of the 15th century after bringing the seeds he brought with him on his second trip to the New World..
• Spanish explorer Ponce de León brought oranges to Florida in the 16th century, and Spanish missionaries brought them to California in the 18th century.
• Commercial oranges are bright orange because an artificial coloring, Citrus Red 2, is injected into their skin.
• Oranges can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. In general, their duration is the same, two weeks, with either method, and they will retain the same level of vitamins.
• In 2008, the five main orange producing countries, by million tons produced, were Brazil (18.3), the United States (9.1), Mexico (4.3), India (4.2) and China (3.4).
• About 85 percent of all oranges produced are used for juice.
• There are more than 600 varieties of oranges around the world.

Now that you have discovered all the benefits of orange, you have no excuse to include it in your daily diet, either as a dessert, as a snack or in one of the delicious recipes that we have recommended..