Orange - Benefits

 

 You have probably heard that you should eat more fruits and vegetables, and if you like oranges, you might be wondering if they are good choice to meet your recommendations for fruits. Oranges are high in vitamin C and low in calories, and they may provide benefits as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. 

 

Nutritional Background

A medium 140-g orange has about 69 calories with no fat or protein and 11 g carbohydrates with 3 g dietary fiber. Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that you need for proper immune function and wound healing, and an orange has 82 mg vitamin C, or 136 percent of the daily value for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet. Oranges are free from sodium and have 232 mg potassium, or 7 percent of the daily value.

Weight Control

Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, asthma and osteoarthritis, and oranges may support you in your efforts to control your weight. You need to limit your calories to prevent weight gain or lose weight, and oranges may help you control you calorie intake since they are low in calories and high in fiber. Oranges are good sources of fiber, with more than 3 g per orange, and dietary fiber can make you less hungry by making your body digest food more slowly. 

Blood Pressure Management

A benefit of oranges is that they may help you prevent high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can increase your risk for coronary heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Oranges are sodium-free and they provide potassium, they may support healthy blood pressure.

Diabetes Prevention

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when your body has difficulty controlling your blood sugar levels, and eating oranges may help you control your blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes. Dietary fiber such as that in oranges may slow down digestion so that your blood sugar levels do not rise quickly after a meal. 

Considerations

To get the most benefits from eating oranges, eat them as part of a healthy diet and exercise plan. Eat a balanced diet that includes foods from each of the food groups, and select a variety of different colors of fruits.