Fresh, sweet and with a fragrant flavor, oranges also have excellent benefits for the body. One of the great qualities of orange juices is that they act as cleaning and disinfecting agents, they can also be used therapeutically and are perfect for breakfast.
A walk to the trusted supermarket or greengrocer, a juicer and a glass. Little more than that, leaving the fluctuations of the agricultural market aside, is what it costs to get a good amount of the most healthy and natural vitamins into the body, and now that the summer heats are approaching, they are also quite cool.
Orange juice is good for our body
How can we achieve such amount of benefits, also in a completely legal way and with the permission (and even the recommendation) of the competent authorities?
Through a recipe that should be considered one of the most attractive preparations: orange juice. Whether freshly squeezed or packed, a good glass every morning and at breakfast will help us start the day on the right foot.
The juice or orange juice ensures a greater feeling of satiety after breakfast. The interaction of orange juice, whole wheat bread, yogurt and egg is particularly efficient. Natural sugars, along with protein, fat, and fiber provide a low glycemic index (GI) for food. This increases the feeling of fullness and reduces the desire for sugar in the morning.
In addition, the combination of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats helps us reduce the amount of insulin our body needs to generate, thereby also controlling blood sugar levels more efficiently.
From China with love
Belonging to the great family of citrus fruits, in which we can also find other fruits such as lemons and grapefruits, the orange has been known since time immemorial in its land of origin, Southeast Asia, although it came to us somewhat later, in the 15th century, thanks to the Portuguese sailors who brought it from India.
From there, it became indispensable in our gastronomic culture, so much so that Christopher Columbus already took several copies of this plant on his second trip to America. In this way, the orange tree could spread throughout the New Continent, which would end up becoming the world’s largest producer of what scientists know as “citrus sinuses”. Brazil, the United States, especially the Florida peninsula, and Mexico stand out above all.
Vitamins to give and take
Juice is the simplest and most effective way to consume oranges and take advantage of the almost innumerable properties that this fruit offers us. One hundred grams of orange, equivalent to about the juice that comes out of a medium-sized piece, contains 225 IU (about 68 micrograms) of vitamin A, 87 micrograms of B1, 40 micrograms of B2, 282 micrograms of B3, 60 micrograms of B6 and 180 micrograms of vitamin E, in addition to essential elements for the proper functioning of the body such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper.
But above all, oranges are well known for their contribution of vitamin C: in the same 100 grams it provides more than 53 micrograms of this compound, necessary for bones, cartilage, teeth and skin to remain in good condition. Of course, science has not been able to show that it is effective in curing colds, as popular belief maintains, but it is essential for the immune system to function and prevent other diseases such as scurvy.