Are you looking for ways to improve your health? If you are, oranges should be a mainstay in your diet. These fruits offer amazing benefits and are a great source of nutrients. You should already know that oranges are rich in Vitamin C. This particular vitamin is essential to the body. However, there’s more than just this nutrient found naturally occurring within these fruit wonders. This article will go over some of the amazing nutrients found in oranges.
Contents
Dietary Fiber
Oranges are a great source of dietary fiber. Fiber is essential for keeping the digestive system functioning properly. It also helps to keep us feeling full after eating, helping with weight loss or maintenance. Additionally, fiber may help to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. If you don’t get enough fiber in your diet, you could possibly develop constipation. You can find fiber in all sorts of fruits and vegetables, but oranges are a particularly good source.
Vitamin C
This vitamin is essential for the body, as it helps to keep us healthy. It’s important for proper immune system function, wound healing, and more. Additionally, Vitamin C is an antioxidant. This means that it helps to protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals can occur naturally in the body or be introduced through environmental factors like pollution and smoking. They can cause all sorts of health problems if left unchecked. Antioxidants help to scavenge these damaging molecules and protect our cells from harm.
Potassium
Potassium is another amazing nutrient found in oranges. This mineral is important for maintaining blood pressure and preventing heart disease. It’s also necessary for proper muscle function. Potassium is also great for athletes, as it can help to prevent cramps and muscle fatigue. Don’t worry about taking a supplement if you’re not an athlete; oranges, along with other fruits and vegetables, can provide all the potassium that is needed.
Manganese
Oranges are rich in manganese which helps promote bone formation and may help prevent osteoporosis by increasing calcium absorption into bones. Manganese is an antioxidant that boosts skin-cell regeneration while promoting healthy hair growth! The fruit even contains copper which acts as a co-factor so your active form of Vitamin C can work at its best within the body! Copperworks together with manganese and zinc to form enzymes that are essential for connective tissue formation, nerve function, energy production, and antioxidant defenses.
Zinc
This nutrient is important for wound healing and the production of collagen, a structural protein found throughout the body that helps to support skin and other tissues. It’s also necessary for proper immune function, cell division, growth during childhood development, reproduction in men and women, regulating blood sugar levels already within normal range after eating carbohydrates or proteins! Zinc may even help with age-related macular degeneration by preventing the oxidation of fatty acids essential to eye health!
Thiamin
Thiamin (or thiamine) is a water-soluble B vitamin. A lack of thiamin may lead to a disease called beriberi, which is characterized by neurological symptoms. In countries where polished rice has become the norm, beriberi has been virtually eliminated through enrichment of the traditional staple food with this important nutrient! Thiamine can be found in oranges and other fruits and veggies as well.
Calcium
Do you need more calcium in your diet? Oranges can help! This mineral is important for bone health and may help prevent osteoporosis by helping with the absorption of dietary calcium into bones! It’s also necessary for proper muscle function, nerve signaling, blood clotting, hormone secretion, and more. While people often think that dairy products are the only way to get enough calcium in their diets, oranges can be an excellent alternative!
Natural Sugar
All of the sugar in one orange is natural. No need to worry about added sugars. The sugar is in a form that the body can use quickly and efficiently, without negative side effects like those associated with processed white sugar! You may have heard that all sugar is bad for you, but this isn’t the case! There are different types of sugars, and some are worse for you than others. Natural sugars like those found in fruit are a much better choice than processed white sugar or artificial sweeteners!
Water
Many Americans don’t drink enough water each day, and this can lead to fatigue as well as digestive issues. Oranges are a great way to get more water into your diet, as they contain over 87% water by weight! Water is essential for life, and it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough of it each day. Not only does water help keep us hydrated, but it also helps flush toxins from the body, supports regular digestion and elimination, and keeps our skin looking healthy!
Vitamin A
Last but not least…oranges contain Vitamin A or retinol for healthy vision including night vision; skin maintenance & repair; immune function & more. This nutrient works together with carotenoids found naturally within oranges (such as beta-carotene) to support our vision, skin, and immune function! Those carotenoids are also necessary for the formation of healthy red blood cells that can transport oxygen throughout your body.
Folate
Folate is a type of vitamin B9 that our bodies produce. It’s found in oranges and other fruits and vegetables, as well as in fortified foods and supplements. This nutrient is important for pregnant women and those who may become pregnant, as it helps to form the neural tube during early development, preventing major birth defects of the baby’s brain and spine. Folate is also necessary for DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, and homocysteine metabolism!
Conclusion
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start eating some oranges today! Not only are they delicious, but they’re also good for your health! There are so many amazing nutrients found in this fruit that it would be a shame not to take advantage of them all! You won’t be sorry if you do, just remember to eat the peel too!
