Oranges, Diet, and Health

When making changes to your diet, one of your biggest concerns is likely to be fat content. Generally, fatty and dense foods are often a common factor in an unhealthy diet. When selecting various foods for your diet, be sure to include fruits and vegetables as these foods can greatly improve your overall health and increase the number of important vitamins and minerals you consume daily. One question you may have is can oranges make you fat? It’s important to carefully review nutritional content to ensure your diet is exactly what you want it to be in terms of content.

Oranges and Nutrition

Oranges are a healthy food and, in terms of nutritional content, contain the following values. One large orange contains 85 calories, 0.2 grams of fat, 21.2 total grams of carbs, 4.2 grams of fiber, and 16.8 grams of sugar. Oranges also contain protein, calcium, potassium, several B vitamins such as B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, copper, and more than your daily needed amount of vitamin C with one orange containing 105 percent of the needed daily amount. Experts recommend a daily dose of citrus fruit which makes oranges a tasty and easy-to-find addition to a healthy diet.

Health Benefits

Oranges offer many health benefits as a regular part of your diet.

• A Source of Water: oranges are water-rich food and, on average, a single orange provides four ounces or half a cup of water. Eating food with a high water content can provide for 20 percent of your needed daily water intake.
• Vitamin C: oranges contain a high amount of vitamin C which your body needs. Healthy amounts of vitamin C help your body’s immune system, helps with iron absorption, reduce inflammation, and help in the body’s production of collagen.
• Contains Fiber: as noted, oranges contain fiber which offers several benefits to your health. Fiber helps improve your overall digestive health, helps regulate your body’s blood sugar levels, and increases the overall feeling of fullness, which can help reduce overeating and feelings of hunger between meals.
• Provide Antioxidants: oranges provide flavonoids a type of natural substance that provides anti-oxidative properties and various health benefits. Flavonoids can help your body fight inflammation, fight viruses, and help keep various cell production systems in balance. Also, there is data that flavonoids can also help improve your mental health and may lower the risk of depression.

Ways to Eat Oranges

Oranges are a food you can use in a lot of different ways. The most common way to eat oranges is to just peel and eat the fruit or turn it into juice, such as orange juice, or mix it with other drinks such as lemonade. Other methods can include putting oranges in salads, slaws, as part of salsa, adding to stir-fry dishes, wraps, desserts, mixing with yogurts, and more. There are also different types of oranges so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Final Thoughts

As the above information shows oranges are a practical, useful, and healthy addition to your diet. Far from increasing weight gain, they offer many helpful nutritional benefits and can help improve your health and overall physical wellbeing. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help with weight loss and oranges are a useful part of a complete, well-planned, and healthy diet.