JEDDAH, 21 December 2005 — You must be wondering why ordinary everyday foods are called Superfoods.
They are considered special because of their abundance in necessary nutrients to maintain optimum health.
The good news is that most of them are readily available in most markets around the country. The subject of our story today is the common fruit, oranges.
Oranges and the rest of the citrus family, lemons, white and pink grapefruit, kumquats, limes, and tangerines are known for their richness in vitamin C. But, the exciting aspect about this fruit is its other less publicized phytochemicals like limonene, pectin, potassium, fiber, and variety of polyphenols, vitamin B12, B6, folate, and betaine.
Oranges and citrus fruits have long been known for their richness in vitamin C.
The fruit saved sailors from dying of scurvy during endless voyages at sea centuries ago. Because the body does not make the vitamin, we need a regular dietary supplement from oranges or other C-rich fruits.
However, when the fruit is unavailable supplements are important to take daily. There is no fear of overdosing on the nutrient as it is water-soluble and is rapidly excreted from the body.
The multi-faceted efficacy of vitamin C demands its continuous dietary supplement, as it is also a cofactor to many nutrients and protective to health at the cellular level.
Therefore, vitamin C dietary supplementation is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of many body organs including the heart, vascular system, cells, eyes, bones, tissues, skin, and others.
Additionally, vitamin C in oranges and citrus fruits prevents certain cancers like mouth, stomach, and colon, which are triggered by cancer-causing agents, nitrosamines, added to certain foodstuffs.
Naringin in grapefruit and hesperdin in orange are flavonoids exclusively found in the citrus family. These polyphenols act as antimutigens, inhibiting the mutation of cells, thus cancer and other chronic diseases.
These flavonoids along with rutin in the fruit and black currants possess anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antiviral, and antibacterial actions.
They also strengthen blood vessels, lowering risk of heart attack and stroke. Hesperdin regenerates vitamin C after it neutralizes free radicals; it is known to enhance the vitamin.
The flavonoid has other benefits; it reduces “bad” cholesterol in the blood and increases “good” cholesterol.
A glass of orange juice with its pulp is found to lower risk of heart disease and stroke and improve cardiovascular disorders. Polyphenols in the fruit have protective substances against stroke.
So do not rely only on isolated vitamin C supplement for protection, but rather on all the nutrients in the whole fruit. The supplement should not replace the real thing that supplies multiple nutrients unless your physician advises you to do so.
Pectin, the white lining of citrus fruit, is a dietary soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol and also inhibits cancer growths and their proliferation.
Orange fiber is associated with lower incident of heart disease. The dietary fiber in tangerines is the best source of pectin to reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar levels.
Pectin seems to balance blood sugar levels by reducing glucose absorption, resulting in a lower insulin secretion in diabetic patients.
The fact that the whole fruit offers anticancer agents makes it an excellent choice of nutrition to maintain overall health and prevent the spreading of prostate, melanoma, and other cancers.
The oil in the peel of oranges and citrus family contains a phytonutrient called limonene. This phytochemical activates the body’s detoxifying enzymes to suppress cancer effects on cells and make tumors shrink in size.
To enhance the flavor of your cooking, add lemon or orange zest to salad dressings, meat or poultry stews, orange juice, lemonade, syrups, and desserts.
Remember to wash the fruit thoroughly with warm water and very little liquid soap if it is not organic.
Folate, a member of the vitamin B family, has a preventive action on cardiovascular disease by lowering homocysteine, a harmful compound in the circulatory system. The nutrient in oranges preserves the cell’s DNA and helps protect against colon, cervical, and probably breast cancers.
Flavonoids are available in most fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, tea, and herbs. There are thousands of these phytonutrients identified through scientific research.
To our advantage, they are very abundant in citrus fruits.
These health-promoting phytochemicals are located in the fruit’s tissue, juice, pulp, and peel, making the consumption of the whole fruit much more health providing than the juice alone.
To benefit from citrus fruits, include them in your daily diet. Eat the whole fruit or drink its juice.
You can have the juice with pulp or add segments of the fruit to a smoothie, sorbet, ice-cream, yogurt, and fruit salad, chicken casserole, the gravy of duck, or vegetable salads. The juice and the zest make a good salad dressing and cake and cheesecake mixtures. The Chinese add orange zest to their tea to make an enjoyable cup of tea full of nutrients.
The French prepare duck a l’orange to counteract saturated fat with orange benefits.
A glass of orange juice or lemonade is nourishing after an exercise session or on a hot day.
It is up to you to choose how to eat or drink your citrus fruit or juice, but please do take it regularly to protect your heart and maintain sound health full of energy.
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)
