Aside from being sweet, juicy and delicious, science is confirming that oranges have some pretty amazing health benefits which ancient civilizations knew about, yet we are just beginning to understand. However, we need to set the record straight about one important fact: vitamin C as found in oranges is NOT the same thing as the single-chemical nutrient knows as ascorbic acid.
Just like all foods, oranges are made up of a complex chemistry, formed by Mother Nature over thousands of years. There are nutrients found inside all living foods, oranges included, that we still have no idea about! Isolating a single nutrient (ascorbic acid) and saying that all vitamin C in food is the same thing as this man-made nutrient is just plain crazy! But let’s get back to what’s really packed inside an orange!
Broken into three general categories, the medicinal value of oranges come from the juice, the peel,
Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 3 cups of orange juice daily can improve HDL cholesterol
- Improves bone strength and antioxidant status
- Helps with weight loss
- May help dissolve kidney stones
- Red orange juice inhibits the growth of prostate cells in vitro
- When mixed with blackcurrant juice, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen were decreased; both are markers of inflammation
Orange peel
- Rich in d-limonene which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties against metastatic melanoma, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer
- Suppressed vaccine-induced arthritis
Orange aroma
- Helps to reduce anxiety
- Induces a more positive mood
- Promotes higher level of calmness
Clearly, oranges have more to offer than what meets the eye. Not only do they look like a miniature sun but they are grown and formed with information and energy directly from the sunlight. Capable of delivering life-giving nutrients to our bodies, oranges should be part of every diet in order to nourish our bodies in the best possible way.