The healthy benefits of oranges

Oranges are an excellent source of nutrients and antioxidents, so it's no wonder they should be a part of your diet. Oranges are one of our most popular fruits and with good reason. One medium-size orange provides about 70 milligrams of Vitamin C, which is more than 90 percent, of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for women. Here are some other benefits of the delicious fruit.

As an antioxidant, oranges may reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart attacks, strokes and other diseases because the vitamin C protects against cell damage. Oranges also contain rutin, hesperidin and other bio­flavonoid. These plant pigments may help to prevent or retard tumour growth. Beta-cryptoxanthin is a carotenoid in oranges and tangerines that may help prevent colon cancer. Nobiletin, a flavonoid found in the flesh of oranges, may have anti-inflammatory actions; and tangeretin, the flavonoid found in tangerines, has been linked in experimental studies to a reduced growth of tumour cells. Oranges are low in calories. The membranes between the segments have the added benefit of providing a good amount of pectin, a soluble dietary fibre that helps control blood cholesterol levels.

• Fresh oranges are a delicious snack or dessert and a flavourful ingredient in salads and some meat dishes.
• One 125 milllitres (1/2 cup) serving of freshly squeezed juice has roughly the same amount of nutrients found in the fresh fruit.
• The peel of the orange is sometimes dried to make candied orange peel or flavourings. Caution is needed, however, because the peel may be treated with sulfites, which can trigger serious allergic reactions in susceptible people. Also, orange peels contain limonene, an oil that is a common allergen.
• Eat the orange with the pith (the spongy white layer between the zest and the pulp). A good amount of the fruit's fibre and antioxidant plant chemicals are found there.

The following are the most common types:

• Hamlins are grown mostly in Florida. These oranges are seedless and pulpy; they are used mainly for juicing.
• Maltese, or blood, oranges are sweet, deep red oranges originating in Italy.
• Navel oranges are sweet and seedless; they are the second most common type in North America.
• Sevilles are sour oranges that are used mostly for marmalades.
• Temples are sweet, juicy, full of seeds and are a cross between tangerines and oranges.
• Valencias, the most common North American variety, are used for eating and juicing.
• Jaffas are imported from Israel and other sunny regions. They are slightly sweeter than Valencias.

The orange is delicious and nutritious. The many varieties and ways of including it in your meals are a good reason why it has become one of the country's most popular fruits.