What are the benefits of orange, properties and contraindications

Chemical composition of orange

It is not for nothing that orange citrus is in high demand - it contains a lot of useful substances. Each fruit contains:

• potassium, sodium, zinc and copper;
• phosphorus, manganese, calcium and iron;
• selenium;
• a wide group of B vitamins - from B1 to B12;
• vitamins C, A and E, which make orange beneficial for facial skin;
• fiber and carotene;
• salicylic acid;
• polyunsaturated and monounsaturated acids.

Are oranges good for weight loss?

With the help of an orange, you can effectively lose weight, especially since the fruit has a very low calorie content. A huge amount of vitamins will not deplete the body and keeps you alert during a diet.

Fiber will keep you feeling full for a long time and cleanse your intestines of harmful toxins. B vitamins will help cope with breakdowns, as they have a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system.

There are no mono-diets on this fruit, but the fruits are perfect for snacking.

Useful and medicinal properties of orange

With regular consumption, the benefits of orange for the human body are manifested in all areas. There are several main beneficial properties of this fruit, namely:

• cleansing - the fruit lowers cholesterol, improves blood composition, prevents the formation of blood clots, orange juice is very useful for the liver;
• anti-inflammatory - salicylic acid, which is contained in the fruit, serves as an excellent antipyretic and antiviral agent;
• strengthening - citrus helps increase immune resistance, helps with anemia and anemia, regulates appetite and promotes normal liver function.

In addition, the fruit is effective in combating constipation. It has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, helps cope with fatigue and anxiety, and eliminates weakness and apathy.

For women

The benefits of oranges for a woman’s body are that the fruit rejuvenates the body, promotes cell renewal, and protects a woman from premature aging. In addition, orange serves as a good preventative against cancer and has a positive effect on hormonal levels, as it maintains the balance of the estrogen hormone in the body.

For men

For men, the properties of orange fruits are beneficial because the vitamin C in the fruit has a beneficial effect on reproductive functions - the quality of the genetic material improves. When planning a child, it is highly recommended for men to consume citrus. The fruit also preventively protects the body from strokes and heart attacks, to which representatives of the stronger sex are especially prone.

For the elderly

The anti-aging properties of orange are very useful for older people. Eating fruit helps preserve brain function and prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases. Some studies show that older people whose diet contains oranges are less likely to suffer from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Chemical composition and properties of orange

Chemical composition of orange per 100 g:

• vitamins : A – 8 mcg;
• B1 – 0.09 mg;
• B2 – 0.04 mg;
• B5 – 0.25 mg;
• B6 – 0.06 mg;
• B9 – 30 mcg;
• C – 53.2 mg;
• E – 0.18 mg;
• N – 50 mcg;
• RR – 0.43 mg.

The fruit also contains:

• pectin substances – 0.6 g;
• essential amino acids – 0.52 g;
• irreplaceable – 0.27 g;
• dietary fiber – 2 g.

Oranges contain tartaric, citric, folic, oxalic, and malic acids.

Orange zest is a source of natural essential oil.

Important! The chemical composition of the fruit depends on climatic conditions, growing region, variety and degree of ripeness.

Citrus is characterized by the following beneficial properties:

• has an anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effect;
• increases immunity;
• removes toxins and waste from the body;
• activates intestinal activity;
• helps fight stress and depression;
• strengthens the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• helps with anemia;
• fights excess weight;
• lowers blood pressure;
• slows down the aging process;
• accelerates cell renewal.

Calorie content and BZHU

Calorie content of orange – 43 kcal per 100 g.

BJU per 100 g:

• proteins – 0.9 g;
• fats – 0.2 g;
• carbohydrates – 8 g.

At what age can a child be given an orange?

The fruit is very useful for children, as it saturates the body with the most necessary vitamins and protects children from anemia and anemia. However, before the age of 1 year, you cannot give an orange to a child - harm from allergies cannot be ruled out.

After a year, it is recommended to offer the fruit in the amount of a small slice - and if there is no negative reaction, gradually increase the dosage. The maximum norm of oranges for children under 7 years of age is no more than 1 fruit per day.

Attention! Since even a healthy orange has strict contraindications, you should definitely consult a pediatrician before introducing it into your diet.

How many oranges can you eat a day?

When talking about whether oranges are healthy, you need to understand how much of them you can eat.

The daily requirement for an adult’s body is contained even in 100 g of orange. This volume provides the body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients of this fruit. You can consume no more than 3 fruits per day. But you shouldn't eat them every day.

It must be remembered that excessive consumption of oranges can cause allergic reactions in the body. Therefore, you should not forget about this restriction so as not to provoke skin diseases.

Is it possible to eat oranges during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Folic acid is very important for the body of a pregnant woman - and oranges contain it in huge quantities. In addition, vitamins C, A and E in orange will be valuable for the woman and the fetus. If there is no allergy, then you can consume the product a couple of times a day while carrying a child - there will be no harm from this.

But during breastfeeding, you should not rush to return fruit to your diet. It often causes allergies in infants, so it is better to enjoy the fruit again a few months after birth - and in small quantities.

The benefits of orange for weight loss

Orange is ideal for dieting. The fruit contains very few calories, but at the same time removes toxins from the body, regulates appetite, and speeds up metabolism. If you eat 2–3 citrus fruits per day, the extra pounds will go away faster.

The benefit of an orange in the morning on an empty stomach and during the day is that it maintains fluid balance in the body - it contains a lot of water. And of course, the fruit replenishes the supply of vitamins, which inevitably decreases with dietary restrictions.

Attention! You can eat fruit on an empty stomach only immediately before meals - otherwise it will be harmful to the stomach.

Benefits of orange zest

After the fruit is eaten, the peel does not have to be thrown away. The benefit of citrus peel is that the zest also contains a lot of useful substances - vitamin A, mineral components, ascorbic acid.

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Fresh or dried peels can be used in traditional medicine recipes, and aromatic and healthy tea can be made from them. You can also simply spread the zest around the house in several places; the benefits of the orange peel will also be in this case. The air will be filled with a pleasant aroma, and the microclimate will become cleaner and healthier.

Orange in folk medicine

Since the fruit is extremely rich in vitamins, and its cost is not so high, it is often found in home medicine recipes. The benefits of decoctions of orange peels, infusions of orange pulp and seeds are manifested in colds, inflammation, intestinal disorders and constipation.

• An infusion of fresh slices will help with high temperatures. Several slices are poured with half a glass of warm water, allowed to brew for half an hour and drunk several times a day at intervals of 2 hours.
• An infusion of pulp and zest will help you quickly cope with ARVI and influenza. Finely chopped or grated fruit along with the peel is poured with 2 cups of boiling water and left for half an hour, and then drunk shortly before eating, a few sips at a time.
• The benefits of orange peels and seeds, crushed in a blender, help well during painful and heavy periods in women. The raw materials are poured with boiling water and left for 40 minutes, then filtered and taken three times a day.

To treat a cold, you can use an alcoholic tincture of the crusts and seeds of the fruit.

It’s very simple to make - first you need to prepare a sweet syrup by briefly boiling 250 g of sugar in clean water. When the syrup has cooled, you will need to pour it into a glass container, at the bottom of which there are already orange peels, and fill it to the top with alcohol or vodka. The product is infused for a week - and then it is filtered and taken 1 - 2 small spoons twice a day for cold symptoms.

Benefits of orange tea

Another benefit of orange peel is that it can be added to delicious and aromatic tea. It can be used for medicinal purposes or just for pleasure. The hot drink contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, vitamins B and A, and antioxidants.

Important! You should drink tea with orange no more than 2 times a day so as not to harm the stomach and kidneys - however, if consumed in moderation, it will bring great benefits and significantly strengthen the body.

Orange tea recipe

There are quite a few ways to prepare a flavored drink. In addition to orange, they use various spicy additives to enhance the beneficial properties of tea. But the recipe for orange tea with cinnamon and ginger can be considered a classic. It is this drink that brings the greatest benefits, and besides, it is very easy to prepare.

• In order to brew tea, you need to cut a small slice from an orange and cut it into small pieces along with the peel.
• Then you need to cut off a small piece no more than 1.5 cm from the ginger root, peel it and cut into thin strips.
• Place the ingredients in a cup and add a spoonful of honey on top. After this, the orange, honey and ginger need to be thoroughly ground with a teaspoon and mixed.
• Then pour boiling water over the mixture, stir again, cover the cup with a saucer and wait for about 7 minutes.

You can add a cinnamon stick to the finished tea - it will make the taste more spicy, enhance the aroma and valuable properties.

Health Benefits of Oranges

Let us highlight seven main beneficial properties of orange for the human body.

Contains high levels of antioxidants

All citrus fruits, and oranges in particular, are loaded with antioxidants that promote health. Antioxidants are compounds that fight free radicals to prevent oxidative stress and protect against chronic diseases. Antioxidants are thought to play a role in preventing the development of conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes ().

In particular, oranges are high in bioflavonoids such as hesperidin and hesperitin, which have been shown in test-tube studies to help neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation and reduce oxidative cell damage ().

Strengthen immunity

Oranges are one of the best sources of vitamin C, providing 163% of your daily dose in just one fruit. In addition to its powerful antioxidant properties, vitamin C is also revered for its ability to improve immune function.

A review published in the American journal Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism found that getting enough vitamin C can help reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections such as colds and flu. In addition, vitamin C may also reduce morbidity and improve outcome in conditions such as pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea ().

Help fight cancer

Some studies show that due to their high antioxidant content, eating oranges daily may help protect and prevent cancer. This is why citrus fruits are often one of the best foods to fight tumors.

Eating more citrus fruits has been linked to a lower risk of developing several types of cancer. For example, one study in Korea showed that high consumption of citrus fruits reduced the risk of developing breast cancer by 10%.

Other studies have found similar associations between citrus fruit consumption and the risk of other cancers, including esophageal, pancreatic, gastric, and prostate cancers (, ).

Contains a large amount of healthy fiber

Oranges are an excellent source of fiber. Just one large orange provides up to 17% of your daily fiber needs. When you eat fiber, it moves slowly through the gastrointestinal tract, promoting satiety, adding bulk to the stool, and moving food along when digested.

One large analysis from China compared the results of five studies and found that dietary fiber may increase bowel movements in people with constipation (). Fiber also acts as a prebiotic to provide nutrition to beneficial bacteria in the gut. Your gut microbiome is critical to many aspects of health and is believed to influence the development of many different types of diseases ().

Fiber can also help avoid excessive food cravings and increased hunger. Its ability to keep the digestive system calm without causing appetite is also one of the main benefits of oranges for weight loss. With only 87 calories, orange is a delicious, healthy and nutritious food if you want to lose weight quickly.

Improve heart health

Adding oranges to your daily diet can have a profound effect on your heart health. Numerous studies have shown that increasing your consumption of citrus fruits such as oranges can go a long way toward improving cholesterol levels to protect against coronary heart disease.

In one study, people with high cholesterol consumed oranges for 4-12 weeks. It lowered total cholesterol by 30%, reduced bad low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 27%, and lowered triglyceride levels by 34% (13).

Similarly, another study published in the Journal of Epidemiology found that frequent consumption of citrus fruits was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of heart disease and stroke ().

Increase cognitive functions of the brain

Flavonoids found in oranges may help preserve cognitive function and prevent neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that higher consumption of citrus fruits was associated with improved cognitive function among older adults ().

According to a recent study conducted in 2020, the neuroprotective effects of citrus fruits may be due to the presence of two important flavonoids, nobiletin and tangeretin (). Although more research is needed, preliminary results from animal studies suggest that these flavonoids may be useful in the treatment and prevention of dementia (, ).

Keeps skin healthy

As a commonly used ingredient in many skin care products, it's no secret that the benefits of orange for skin are quite impressive. Some studies show that certain types of oranges may even provide wrinkle-fighting benefits. The anti-cellulite properties of oranges and other citrus fruits are also widely known.

One test-tube study found that orange peel has anti-aging benefits for aging skin due to its antioxidant composition ().

Another study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that taking a dietary supplement of orange extract helped protect skin from UV-induced skin damage and reduced age spots by 20% ().

How to eat an orange correctly

In order for a citrus fruit to bring maximum benefit and not cause harm, you need to know the rules for its use.

• It is not advisable to consume fresh fruit on an empty stomach. The properties of orange provoke the production of gastric juice and increase acidity; accordingly, in case of severe hunger, it will have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the stomach.
• Juicy fruit and the acids it contains harm tooth enamel. After eating citrus, it is advisable to rinse your mouth.
• The properties of the fruit do not combine well with dairy products. It should not be eaten before consuming milk, kefir, cottage cheese, sour cream - or immediately after, as this can cause stomach upset.

How to peel and cut an orange

Fruits with a thin skin that is easily separated from the pulp can be peeled with your fingers. But usually it is more convenient to peel the fruit with a knife.

• You can cut off the “top” of the orange near where the stem attaches, and then make four cuts going down and pick up the peel with your fingers.
• Another way is to cut an unpeeled orange into segments and separate the pulp from the peel for each segment.

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Most often, oranges are cut without any special tricks. The skin separating the fruit segments is thin and does not have a pronounced taste - so it can be eaten along with the pulp, or can be quickly removed with your fingers before consumption.

Advice! Oranges should always be washed before peeling and slicing to prevent dirt and bacteria from the peel from accidentally transferring to the flesh.

Is it possible to eat an orange at night and on an empty stomach?

The properties of oranges bring maximum benefit when consumed in the morning - they help the body wake up and speed up metabolism. However, there will also be benefits from eating an orange before bed - the fruit is digested in only half an hour, there is no harm to healthy sleep, but excess fat does not accumulate during the night's rest.

It is useful to give an orange to a child at night if he suddenly has an appetite, and it is too late for a full dinner.

But you should absolutely not consume fruit on an empty stomach - it will cause harm. The properties of citrus provoke the production of gastric secretions, and if you often eat it on an empty stomach, this will lead to gastritis.

How many oranges can you eat a day

The benefits and harms of orange for human health depend on the dosage. For an adult, the daily norm is 3 oranges, and during a cold, you can eat up to 5 fruits - in order to fight viruses and infections.

Beneficial features

Moderate consumption of the fruit will benefit men, women and children. The product is especially valuable for the body of older people.

The most significant properties of orange:

• promotes rapid evacuation of toxic substances from the blood;
• stimulates gentle cleansing of the intestines from toxins;
• strengthens vascular walls and prevents increased capillary permeability;
• slows down the growth and development of atypical cancer cells and prevents the emergence of new malignant tumors;
• improves heart function;
• normalizes digestion, relieves chronic constipation;
• has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and mild diuretic properties;
• stimulates tissue regeneration;
• helps in regulating cholesterol levels and prevents the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels;
• normalizes metabolic processes, promotes smooth and safe weight loss;
• improves and helps maintain visual function, prevents the development of myopia;
• stimulates collagen production;
• improves hematopoietic processes and blood composition;
• normalizes the psycho-emotional state, reduces the risk of developing neurosis and depression.

For men, the product is quite valuable because it tones the body and increases endurance during prolonged physical activity. The product prevents disorders of the genitourinary system and prevents the development of malignant pathologies of the prostate gland.

Orange is also beneficial for women because:

• helps maintain youth and beauty of hair and skin;
• prevents the early appearance of wrinkles;
• relieves menopausal symptoms;
• normalizes hormonal balance;
• helps maintain a slim figure.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, fruit in moderate quantities will help replenish the deficiency of valuable minerals and vitamins, and will weaken the signs of gestosis in the early and late stages. Before using it, you should consult your doctor.

Fruit is valuable for children because:

• strengthens the immune system;
• prevents frequent viral and colds;
• stimulates mental activity;
• improves memory and attention.

Citrus fruit is of particular value for the body of elderly people who suffer from atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Moderate and regular consumption of oranges significantly weakens the clinical manifestations of such diseases and prevents their complications.

In the last few years, the fruit has begun to be included in the diet of elderly patients who have suffered strokes of varying severity.

The benefits and harms of blood oranges

Typically the flesh of oranges is yellow or orange, but there are also red varieties. In size and appearance, blood oranges are the same as regular oranges, only the peel may have a reddish tint. They contain fewer seeds than regular varieties, which is why red citrus fruits are often used for desserts.

Blood orange contains all the same nutrients as orange and has the same properties. The benefits of citrus fruits for the body are expressed in their beneficial effects on the immune system, blood vessels and nervous system. But you should not overuse the product - it can cause allergies, and in too large quantities it irritates the stomach.

What are the benefits of candied fruits and orange peel jam?

Orange zest has an amazing property - even after heat treatment, it retains most of the nutrients. Therefore, very often they make jam from the peels and make candied fruits - that is, they boil the peels in sugar syrup and then dry them.

Candied fruits and jam contain a lot of vitamin C and B vitamins, useful microelements - iron, potassium, magnesium. Eating such sweets is not just pleasant - candied fruits and jam protect the body from colds, but also strengthen blood vessels and help maintain vigor.

How to select and store oranges

Oranges are by no means a shortage on store shelves. But of course, their quality is not the same. A few tips will help you choose ripe, juicy and tasty fruits.

• A ripe fruit is heavy - you should weigh several similar-looking fruits in your hand and choose the heaviest one.
• A high-quality fruit is covered with a dense and smooth skin with large “pores”. There should be no dents or damage on the surface of the peel, no dry peel, and you should also choose citrus fruits without soft “barrels.”
• The most delicious and natural fruits appear in stores in November - December.
• Medium-sized fruits are often juicier and tastier than very large fruits.

At room temperature, oranges do not last too long - only about a week. But in the refrigerator, on a dry shelf, they can lie for up to 4 months - and retain all their valuable properties.

How to store oranges

The essential oils released by the peel release a stable film, so it is not necessary to store it in the refrigerator. It is enough to choose a dark, cool place for storage. It can be stored in such a place for about 2 weeks, but during this time it will gradually dry out.

For long-term storage of orange, a suitable method is to freeze orange juice with grated zest in an ice container. This method will save all useful elements for you in a “live” form.

The orange will not ripen during storage - at whatever stage of ripening it was picked, it will remain that way.