Full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs, the health benefits of oranges are exponential. From keeping your immune system up and running to helping you stay looking younger for longer, oranges are truly amazing.
These sweet and tangy citrus fruits make for the perfect quick snack before you head out to the gym. They are great additions for spicing up your dinners and lunches. If you’re looking for a new twist the whole family will enjoy, oranges just might be the way to go.
In this post, I’ll give you a rundown of orange nutrition facts. From there, you’ll dive into the health benefits they have on the inner and outer workings of your body.
Orange Nutrition Facts per Serving
Serving size: 1 medium-sized orange
- Calories: 60 Calories
- Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Potassium: 237 mg
- Protein: 1 g
- Total Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Dietary fiber: 3.1g
- Sugar: 12 g
Vitamins and Minerals
- Vitamin C: 116%
- Calcium: 5%
- Vitamin B6: 5%
- Magnesium: 3%
- Iron: 0%
- Vitamin D: 0%
- Cobalamin: 0%
Health Benefit of Oranges
Now that you know the basic breakdown of orange nutrition, it’s time to take a deeper look at the health benefits of oranges.
Below you’ll find the answers to all those nagging questions, like; why are oranges so good for my immune system? If I’m diabetic, are oranges safe for me to eat? Is vitamin C really good for my skin? And much more.
Immune system
Immune system functionality is a major health benefit of oranges. With their high levels of Vitamin C, oranges make for a great addition to your everyday diet.
Vitamin C is essential to your white blood cells. This is because Vitamin C stimulates the growth and production of white blood cells.
White blood cells are an important part of your immune system since they fight off illness-causing bacteria and viruses.
Vitamin C also helps produce antibodies, proteins that neutralize invading organisms. This makes orange nutrition an important part of protecting you and your family.
Digestion
Another health benefit of oranges is the amount of fiber they have. The average orange has 2.8 to 3.1 grams of fiber.
Fiber is plant-derived food that your body can’t completely break down. It’s important to your dietary needs because it helps regulate digestion and keeps your gut healthy.
Skin
The health benefits of oranges don’t only positively affect how your body functions on the inside. It also does amazing things for your largest organ, the skin.
The high levels of vitamin C in the orange’s nutritional value help the body produce collagen. Which is a protein made up of amino acids.
These amino acids are what your body uses for structural support. Its rigidness and ability to stretch are what makes it the perfect intercellular substance to make up your skin.
Collagen plays a major role in keeping your skins strength, elasticity, and hydration.
Vitamin C isn’t the only beneficial vitamin in oranges. They also have a substantial amount of Vitamin A, which helps protect your skin from bacteria and viruses that cause pimples.
The combination of vitamins A and C can also help reverse sun damage and protect your skin from cancer.
Diabetes
Oranges are a great addition to your diet if you have diabetes. They have a low glycemic index, meaning they cause glucose levels to rise at a slower rate. This gives the body more time to process the sugar and will help prevent your glucose from spiking.
Fiber-rich foods are essential for people who have diabetes. The fiber slows the rise of your blood sugar, meaning it decreases your fasting glucose and can help lower your A1C.
The vitamin C found in orange’s nutrition also functions as an antioxidant, which is essential for your body to fight against “oxidative stress.” Which is the imbalance of oxygen-containing molecules.
Prolonged oxidative stress can cause damage to your fatty tissue, DNA, and other proteins in your body. This makes the health benefits of oranges exponential for those with diabetes.
Eye Health
People say the eyes are the window to the soul, so why wouldn’t we want to keep them as healthy as possible? The health benefits of oranges have an amazing effect on your eyes.
Studies have shown that people who include oranges in their regular diet have a reduced risk of developing macular degeneration. This usually happens as a person ages and can lead to complete loss of sight.
Vitamin C is also known for keeping your eyes’ blood vessels healthy and fighting the development of cataracts.
Brain
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably never heard of flavonoids, but they are yet another health benefit of oranges.
Flavonoids are a natural substance found in many fruits and vegetables. They reduce inflammation as well as improve blood flow to the brain, which positively affects on a person’s cognitive ability.
Vitamin C in oranges has also been known to help protect your brain from age-related decline.
Bones
Another health benefit of oranges is that they help strengthen your bones.
The vitamin C in oranges helps produce collagen that’s not only beneficial to your skin but also beneficial to help your bones grow and stay strong.
As our bodies start to age, bone loss can lead to Osteoporosis. By adding more oranges to your diet, you can help prevent bone loss from happening in the first place.
Muscles
Oranges make for a great snack for before and after workouts. They hold a large assortment of vitamins and minerals that your body needs. It helps your muscles stay strong and repair themselves after an intense workout.
Yes, I said repair.
When you work out, your muscles repeatedly contract and stretch. This causes small tears to occur in your muscles. The more intense your workouts, the more your muscles tear. This, not lactic acid, is what causes the soreness after your workout.
Potassium is also among the health benefits of oranges. It keeps your electrochemical’s balanced. When these become imbalanced, you will start experiencing cramps.
Heart
The high levels of potassium in oranges make them great for heart health. Studies show that people with higher levels of potassium consumption have a lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
Mental Health
Yes! You read that right. Research has shown that oranges may help improve mental health. Remember how we mentioned flavonoids and their effect on brain health? Research has also found that a higher intake of flavonoids might lower the risk of depression.
Does the Variety Dictate the Health Benefits of Oranges?
Like many fruits, there are different varieties of oranges; navel oranges, Cara cara, and blood oranges, just to name a few. Although they may all have different tastes, they share the same amount of health benefits.
However, there is a difference between fresh oranges and dried. Dried oranges bought at the store have a higher concentration of sugar, which can raise your glucose levels.
The good news is that you can make your own at home without adding unnecessary sugar.
Here is a step-by-step recipe for drying oranges.
How to Add More Oranges to Your Diet
Not everyone in your family might be a fan of eating oranges daily. Maybe you just want to add a little more variety to your cooking repertoire or sneak some oranges into your picky eater’s meal? If that’s the case, then here are some recipe ideas that the whole family will love.
Try out this Fresh Ambrosia Salad with coconut and oranges if you want something sweet or a dessert to wrap up a family dinner.
You can even make your own Fresh Orange Sorbet in three easy steps.
Maybe you’re looking to add a twist to chicken night this week? Then this Orange Salsa will make a perfect addition to your family dinner.
Want to liven up your oatmeal? Oranges mixed with nuts make for an incredibly nutritious breakfast.
You can also create fruit kebobs with oranges and other fresh fruits and then dip them in either low-fat yogurt or chocolate pudding. Either of which will make for a great snack or dessert.
Oranges also make a great addition to fruit and regular salads by adding their juicy sweetness.
Wrapping Up the Health Benefits of Oranges
Now that you know all the health benefits that oranges offer, you might wonder how you can grow your own. Or maybe you’re trying to figure out the best variety of oranges to grow in your backyard and where you can find them.
Visit our Orange Trees page on our website for all our orange-related blog posts. You’ll find profiles of different kinds of oranges, plus helpful growing and care guides, and even tips about harvesting and storing your fruit.