Oranges: eat or squeeze?

When you think of vitamin C, you think of a fresh glass of orange juice. Still, it is smarter to eat the whole fruit. What's up with that? And why are oranges so healthy?

The orange (also: oranges) is a citrus fruit, just like tangerines and lemons. He is named after his country of origin, China. Today our oranges mostly come from the sunny countries around the Mediterranean or from South America. The Dutch eat an average of no less than 8.5 kilograms of this popular fruit every year.

Health Benefits

Citrus fruit owes its healthy image to the high vitamin C content. An orange contains about 60 milligrams of vitamin C, which is already 80 percent of the recommended amount you should get in a day. Vitamin C is important for a good resistance, sufficient energy, your nervous system, healthy bones, teeth, skin and blood vessels. In addition, vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron from food. In addition, oranges provide folic acid and fiber. You need folic acid for the formation of red blood cells, a well-functioning nervous system and immune system. Fiber contributes to a smooth bowel movement and ensures that you stay satiated for a long time after eating. In addition, they are associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, breast cancer and type 2 diabetes.

When buying oranges, make sure they have a smooth skin without damage or mold spots. Juice oranges are a bit more fibrous and contain more juice than hand oranges: not so tasty to eat, but very suitable for squeezing. Keep oranges out of the refrigerator to keep them for two to three weeks. Peel or peel your orange and eat it straight or use the wedges in a recipe. You can also use the peel: some grated peel gives a fresh citrus flavor to dishes and baked goods. Make sure to wash the peel carefully before grating, because citrus fruits are treated with an anti-fungal agent. Once washed, there is no danger to your health.

Is it worth getting up early in the morning to squeeze your own fresh juice? A little though. Freshly squeezed orange juice contains up to about 50 percent more vitamin C than juice made from concentrate. (Juice from a carton is usually fruit juice from concentrate. This means that during production the water is removed first and the water is added again later.) Yet even orange juice from concentrate still contains a lot of vitamin C. You don't have to drink your juice right away. With acidic juices, such as orange juice, the vitamin C content decreases slowly, by about 2 percent per day. Keep it in the fridge, in the dark, because light causes vitamin C to disappear.

A downside of orange juice is that it contains fruit sugars, seven sugar cubes per glass. And that is comparable to the amount of sugar in a glass of soft drink. Your body does not see the difference between sugar from an orange or sugar from cola and handles it the same way. If you drink a lot of fruit juice, it may seem like you are doing a good job, but you are getting a lot of calories unnoticed. In addition, the sugars (and acids) in orange juice affect your teeth. And the healthy fibers that are in the fruit, you sieve out with your citrus press. Enjoying a glass of orange juice every now and then can't hurt, but it is the healthiest thing to eat oranges.
A downside of orange juice is that it contains fruit sugars, seven sugar cubes per glass. And that is comparable to the amount of sugar in a glass of soft drink. Your body cannot tell the difference between sugar from an orange or sugar from cola and deals with it in the same way. If you drink a lot of fruit juice, it may seem as if you are being healthy, but you are getting a lot of calories unnoticed. In addition, the sugars (and acids) in orange juice affect your teeth. And the healthy fibers that are in the fruit, you sieve out with your citrus press. Enjoying a glass of orange juice every now and then can't hurt, but it is the healthiest thing to eat oranges.