What’s so special about oranges? To most Americans, they are about as common as hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. But instead of grease, this superfood is jammed packed with nutrients that boost your immune system, benefit your circulatory system, and help you digest your food like a pro. And what is even better is that you can find a variety of this fruit in season, anytime of the year.
Nutrients:
Vitamin C – water soluble, helps with the formation of collagen, assists in absorption of iron, humans do not produce this vitamin and it must be obtained through dietary sources
Vitamin P – also known as bioflavonoid, water soluble, necessary for the proper absorption of vitamin C, increases capillary strength and regulates absorption, works with vitamin C in keeping connective tissues healthy
Folic Acid – member of the vitamin B complex, water soluble, essential to the formation of red blood cells, aids in protein metabolism, important for the production of nucleic acids, essential for division of body cells
Potassium – works with sodium to help regulate the body’s water balance and normalize heart rhythms, important for chemical reactions within the cells and aids in maintaining stable blood pressure, regulates the transfer of nutrients through cell membranes
Fiber – specifically pectin, impacts absorption in the stomach and small intestine, by binding with bile acids they decrease fat absorption and lower cholesterol levels, delay stomach-emptying and slow sugar absorption by coating the lining of the gut, good for removing certain toxic metals from the body
Benefits:
Immunity – helps build resistance to infection; heals wounds, burns, and bleeding gums; aids in preventing viral and bacterial infections; acts as a preventative for canker sores; reduces effects of many allergy-producing substances; can even offer protection against many forms of cancer
Circulatory – helps lower blood cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels; can lower incidence of blood clots in veins; helps lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure; strengthens the walls of capillaries and prevents bruising; helps reduce risk of heart disease
Digestive – can act as a natural laxative; helps prevent colon cancer, constipation, hemorrhoids, and obesity; protects against intestinal parasites and food poisoning; helps dispose of body wastes
Varieties & Alternatives:
navel, blood, valencia, mandarin, satsuma, tangerine, clementine, kumquat, minneola, tangelo, grapefruit, lemon, lime
Sources:
Mindell, Earl and Hester Mundis. Earl Mindell’s New Vitamin Bible. New York: Warner Books, 2004. Print.
Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Nutrional Healing. 3rd ed. New York: Avery, 2000. Print.
Pratt, Steven, and Kathy Matthews. SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life. New York: Harper, 2004. Print.
Van Straten, Michael, and Barbara Griggs. SuperFoods: Nutrient-dense Foods to Protect Your Health. New York: DK, 2006. Print.
