Orange Nutrition – Health Benefits of the Citrus Fruit

Orange, a citrus fruit, is native of Southeastern Asia and is grown in warm climates. It is consumed in raw as well as juice forms and its rind is used for flavoring. Orange has a high content of nutrients and is beneficial for health.

Orange Nutrition – Beneficial for Health

Orange is a tasty and juicy fruit and it contains copper, potassium, folic acid, magnesium and sodium. It also contains fats, iron, proteins, sulfur and fiber. Orange nutrition is beneficial for health in many ways. Due to high calcium content, orange is good for bones. Beta-carotene is good for prevention of cell damage. Oranges are good for dental health as well. They help in maintaining blood pressure due to the presence of magnesium. The high vitamin B6 content helps in hemoglobin production. Orange juice, when consumed on a regular basis, increases HDL cholesterol. High content of folic acid helps in development of the brain. Due to the presence of potassium, oranges are good for the cardiovascular system. Orange nutrition helps the body in fighting many diseases including arthritis, bronchitis, constipation, fever, influenza, heart disease, pneumonia, rheumatism, typhoid and many other diseases.

Calories in Orange – High in Juice Form

Orange contains vitamin A, B, C, calcium and phosphorus and it can be consumed in large quantity without any addition of calories. For a medium size fruit of 131g, there are 62 calories in orange. One cup of orange juice contains 112 calories. To reduce the number of calories, orange juice should be diluted with water. For gaining the maximum benefit, orange should be consumed instead of orange juice. In this way, the orange is chewed. You will feel full and your appetite will be reduced in better way than orange juice. There are fewer calories in orange in its raw form than in the juice form. Orange juice with sugar added to it can be high in calories and should be avoided.

Orange Nutrition Facts – An Analysis

Orange is rich with nutrition and beneficial for health. As per the orange nutrition facts, an orange of 180g has 85 calories. There is no fat, sodium and cholesterol in orange. The amount of total carbohydrate is 21g. Amount of dietary fiber is 4g and that of sugars is 17g. The amount of protein is 2g. 8% of vitamin A, 7% of calcium, 160% of vitamin C and 1% of iron is present in orange. The percentage of daily values of the above orange nutrition facts is given on the basis of a diet of 2000 calories. Orange contains some amount of omega-3 as well as omega-6 fats. It also contains thiamin, folate, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, niacin, choline, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.