When eaten as part of a healthy diet, oranges can benefit your skin, heart, and digestive health. Refreshing citrus is famous for its high levels of vitamin C, an antioxidant that can help shorten the duration of colds and is linked to a lower risk of cancer.
Delicious raw food, lightly frozen or mixed in a smoothie, this fruit is an easy way to make your diet more nutritious. If you love roasting meat, a little orange can also work as a healthy tenderizer.
Oranges have the added benefit of being convenient to toss in a lunch bag for a quick snack or part of a meal.
Nutritional information of oranges
A large orange equals a single serving and contains:
- Calories: 86
- Total fat: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Total carbohydrates: 21.6 g
- Dietary fiber: 4.4 g
- Sugar: 17.2 g
- Added sugar: 0 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
Macronutrients
- Total Fat : A large orange has 0.2 grams of total fat, which includes 0.04 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 0.04 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, and 0 grams of trans fat.
- Carbohydrates : A large orange has 21.6 grams of carbohydrates, which include 4.4 grams of fiber and 17.2 grams of natural sugars.
- Protein: A large orange has 1.7 grams of protein.
Vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients
- Vitamin C: 109% of your daily value (DV)
- Vitamin A (IU): 14% DV
- Folate (B9): 14% DV
- Thiamine (B1): 13% DV
- Copper: 9% DV
- Potassium: 7% DV
- Riboflavin (B2): 6% DV
- Calcium: 6% DV
- Magnesium: 4% DV
- Niacin (B3): 3% DV
- Hill: 3% DV
What benefits do they bring to health?
Oranges can improve the health of your skin, heart and digestive system. High levels of vitamin C can contribute to healthy collagen levels, shorter colds, and lower risk of cancer.
They are linked to better skin health
Vitamin C in oranges performs a number of protective functions in the body, including maintaining healthy, youthful skin. A large orange provides more than your total recommended daily allowance for this nutrient.
Vitamin C plays a key role in the production of collagen , which is the structural protein that gives skin elasticity. According to Oregon State University, the content of this vitamin in your skin and your body's collagen production naturally decrease as you age.
This decrease in collagen contributes to wrinkles. It can also cause health problems like muscle weakness, joint pain, osteoarthritis, or even gastrointestinal problems due to thinning of the lining of the digestive tract. After aging, a poor diet is the most common cause of low collagen levels in the body.
Although you may think that skin health largely involves topical treatments, dietary intake of healthy nutrients is generally related to better skin appearance. Nutrient supplementation improved skin health perception and real skin health, including appearance, roughness, wrinkles, and elasticity, in a March 2015 review in the journal Nutrition Research.
More research is needed to determine the effect of foods rich in nutrients and vitamin C on the appearance of the skin. However, antioxidant- rich foods like oranges generally appear to have a protective effect.
Vitamin C also helps repair wounds and even affects your oral health . In fact, this vitamin may contribute to a lower risk of periodontal (gum) disease and may improve gingival bleeding in gingivitis, according to a July 2019 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
They are rich in fiber
A large orange contains 4.4 grams of fiber, which is 18 percent of the recommended daily allowance. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet, according to the Mayo Clinic. A high fiber diet:
- Helps lower cholesterol levels
- Helps control blood sugar levels
- Normalizes bowel movements and maintains intestinal health
- Helps maintain a healthy weight
- It is associated with a longer life
Oranges are full of soluble fiber, which is also found in apples, oats, peas, beans, and carrots.
The soluble fiber in oranges is very helpful in lowering cholesterol and keeping the gastrointestinal tract healthy, and it also slows down the digestion of food.
Although too many starchy foods can cause constipation (and too much sugar or processed foods can cause diarrhea), fiber keeps your digestive system running smoothly. Soluble fiber can reduce gas and bloating , and transform into a gel-like substance during digestion, making stools softer and more bulky for easier excretion.
Oranges are a type of food certified as heart healthy by the American Heart Association. Certified foods must be a good source (provide at least 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance per serving) of one of these six nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein, and dietary fiber. Oranges qualify because of their fiber and vitamin C content.
Oranges are linked to a healthy immune system
Perhaps the most famous associated with vitamin C, oranges can help keep your immune system working at its best.
That said, vitamin C is not a safe bet to prevent the common cold (or other illnesses). Only extremely active people like marathon runners and skiers who took at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C a day (roughly the amount in two oranges) seemed to cut their chances of getting a common cold in half in a January review. 2013 published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
The same effect was not observed for the general population. However, taking at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C daily seemed to shorten the duration of cold symptoms by an average of 8 percent in adults and 14 percent in children, equivalent to about one day less illness.
When possible, it is best to get nutrients like vitamin C from food rather than supplements.
People with high intakes of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of getting various cancers , including lung, colon, and breast cancer. Vitamin C supplements do not appear to have the same protective effect.
People who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables also seem to have a lower risk of heart disease , which may be due to antioxidants that prevent oxidative damage, one of the leading causes of heart disease. More research is needed to determine if vitamin C plays a role in this protective effect and if it can slow the progression of heart disease and those who already have it.
Is orange juice healthy?
Orange juice isn't necessarily unhealthy in moderation, but whole fruit has many more health benefits. The whole fruit is always recommended over the juice, because you will get more fiber than you would in the juice.
Half a cup of juice is one serving, which isn't much. You could end up drinking two or three servings of juice, which are much more calories and sugar than you would get from an orange.
Although eating whole fruits was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a higher intake of fruit juice was associated with a higher risk in a BMJ study from August 2013. If you like orange juice, go for a variety fortified with calcium.
Are there health risks?
Allergies
Although rare, citrus allergy to oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits has been reported. Many people with a fruit allergy are sensitized to pollen and can react to other fruits.
About 39 percent of children and young adults with hay fever also had citrus sensitivity in a small January 2013 study of 72 participants published in the journal PLOS One.
Citric acid, a chemical found naturally in citrus fruits but also used as a food additive, does not elicit an immune response, even in people with a citrus allergy.
It is important to speak to an allergist if you suspect you have a food allergy, which can cause symptoms such as vomiting, hives, shortness of breath, or even life-threatening anaphylaxis. If you have a food allergy, you may need to carry epinephrine with you at all times in case of a severe reaction.
Drug interactions
Oranges have potassium, which helps send electrical signals to heart muscle cells and other cells. Avoid consuming them with ACE inhibitors such as:
- Captopril (Capoten)
- Enalapril (Vasoteco)
- Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
These medications are used to lower blood pressure or treat heart failure, and may increase potassium levels in your body when combined with oranges (which contain potassium). This can cause palpitations or irregular heartbeats, which can be fatal.
For the same reason, you should avoid mixing oranges with some diuretics like triamterene (Dyrenium), which is used to reduce fluid retention and treat high blood pressure.
Seville oranges (bitter oranges), which are often used in orange marmalade, can affect the same enzyme as grapefruit juice, so it's best to avoid them if your medication reacts with the juice.
Preparation of oranges and useful tips
Please check the oranges before buying
You should be able to lightly squeeze a fresh orange, and its orange hue should predominate over green.
Oranges vary in characteristics according to type
For example, Naveline oranges are easy to peel and are seedless. Valencia oranges have seeds and are more difficult to peel, but are generally less expensive than navel oranges.
Wash them orange before use
It is recommended to wash the oranges under cold running water before peeling them. If you are using the skin for the zest, rub the orange peel with a vegetable brush.
Slices easily and stores properly
Lay the orange on its side, with the ends of the stem in your hands, then carefully cut into pieces. This facilitates the removal of the wedges from the skin.
