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The Health Benefits of Oranges Go Well Beyond Vitamin C

If the word “orange” were to pop up during a game of Catch Phrase, there’s a hard chance the first clue you’d scream to your teammates after “round fruit” is “vitamin C.” And while this definitive, good-for-you quality of all navels, cara caras, and valencias (all different varieties of oranges, BTW) would definitely score you the winning point, it’s not the only health benefit of oranges.

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 Are Oranges Good for You — or the Planet?

If we played a word association game called, “Name that Nutrient,” and I said “orange,” you’d almost certainly reply, “Vitamin C.” You’ve probably been told to drink orange juice, or eat oranges, when you feel a cold coming on. This advice is backed by research — vitamin C can indeed strengthen your immunity. But oranges aren’t a one-hit-wonder. In addition to their immune-boosting properties, they offer plenty of other nutritional benefits. They contain a fair amount of calcium, potassium, and vitamin A, and even have a little bit of protein. Oranges are also high in disease-fighting antioxidants like beta-carotene, which you’ll find in other orange-colored plant foods like sweet potatoes and carrots. And while oranges are higher in natural sugars than some other fruits and veggies, they fall at 51 on the glycemic index scale.

Articles of Interest

An Orange a Day? It's Great for You, Too

There are little downsides to eating a whole orange a day. Hartog says that those with kidney disease should be mindful of orange’s potassium content. Oranges are also high-acidic food, and she says that can trigger symptoms for those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Of course, if you happen to be allergic to the fruit (though it is rare), you’ll want to avoid it altogether.

Are grapes and oranges what we need to stay trim?

The combination of Hesperetin, a compound found in oranges, and trans-resveratrol, found in red grapes is said to help fight the flab as well as decrease blood sugar levels, improve the action of insulin and the health of arteries. The researchers at Warwick University found the two components worked in tandem when combined and hope to create a pill containing both so the benefits can be reaped.

Is Orange Juice More Nutritious?

New research challenges the assumption that fruit trumps juice.

Is Orange Juice the New Superfood?

For decades, orange juice has been considered America’s favorite morning beverage; and while it’s solidified its spot as a tasty drink to complement a balanced breakfast, we often overlook its full nutritional value, particularly when it comes to its antioxidant content.

Orange You Glad?

Oranges may seem like humble breakfast companions, but boy, this fruit is a champion in the nutrition department. How so? How about all this: According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, oranges contain a number of phytochemicals, including cryptoxanthin, carotenoids, and flavanoids, that can help fight against a number of cancers.

Oranges: Secret Agents Of The Food World

Whatever the reason, that sweetness insinuates itself with equal finesse into desserts and savory dishes. So great is the allure of the orange peel that you can find it, dried or fresh, in recipes from all over the world. Like an international secret agent, the zest of tangerines and mandarins and oranges finds its way into Szechuan stir-fries, Mesopotamian couscous, Iberian sweets.

The health benefits of oranges

Oranges contain health-promoting compounds known as flavanones. Research suggests that these phytochemicals help support the body and protect us from conditions such as heart disease and cancer – they’re also thought to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antimicrobial benefits. What’s more, orange peel actually contains higher amounts of certain nutrients than the flesh, so using recipes that incorporate the zest of an orange will give your diet an extra boost.

What Happens to Your Body When You Eat an Orange Every Day

This perfectly portable fruit could help lower your cholesterol, but the risks of eating too much might surprise you.

What's More Nutritious, Orange Juice Or An Orange? It's Complicated

The general advice is to opt for the fruit, since juices are stripped of the fiber – which most us don't get enough of — in whole fruit. And let's face it: Most juice contains a lot of sugar, which most of us consume too much of. So our interest was piqued when we spotted a study suggesting that, when it comes to oranges, juice might actually unlock more carotenoids and flavonoids – both beneficial phytonutrients — than an equivalent amount of fruit.

Why oranges are good for you

They contain prodigious amounts of vitamin C, which protects the immune system and disarms free radicals that cause cell damage. Their abundant folate reduces levels of homocysteine, the cardiovascular risk factor, which can build up in our blood, while their store of potassium helps lower blood pressure. It's best to eat them whole: the papery pith contains valuable plant compounds (hesperidin, naringenin, limonene) that add to their antioxidant properties, along with soluble fibre, which slows down the absorption of fruit sugar in the bloodstream.