What is it about the first juicy bite of a perfectly ripened citrus fruit that is so unmistakably gratifying? Well of course the flavorful juice is your first instinct, but have you ever heard the facts about why that citrus fruit does more for you then just satisfy your craving for a tasty snack. You have grown up learning that eating fruit is a healthy snack alternative, but what are the health benefits that citrus fruit actually provides for your body. It turns out that the savory treats provide a multitude of benefits to many different aspects of your health, including the following:
Strengthens your immunity: You may be aware that citrus fruits are packed with Vitamin C, but what exactly does Vitamin C do for your body? The answer is simple, yet so important. The Vitamin C in citrus fruit help to fight off antibodies that are looking to invade your body and cause infection. A diet that is high in Vitamin C has been shown to lower your risk of contracting illnesses, such as the common cold and the flu.
Hearth health: Most citrus fruit is high in fiber and antioxidants, thereby making them great for your cardiovascular system or simply put, your heart. A high intake of citrus fruit has been proven to lower LDL, or bad cholesterol levels in your blood and actually increase the HDL, or good cholesterol levels in your blood. Therefore, consuming citrus fruits may actually lower your level of risk for dangerous heart problems such as a stroke or a heart attack.
Skin care: Are you tired of paying increasingly high prices for minimal ounces of beauty products that advertise a delay in the aging process? Forget those products and instead begin eating some form of citrus fruit as part of your every day diet. Consuming citrus on a regular basis can delay the aging process of your skin, while also giving it nourishment. Specifically, the antioxidant in the Vitamin C found in these fruits, can act as a warrior against oxidation of free radicals that are set out to destroy your skin cells.
Weight loss and diet: Citrus fruits are an excellent way to assist in your diet and weight loss goals. After all, these fruits not only contain minimal calories, they also provide many of the essential vitamins and nutrients necessary to boost your metabolism. So the next time that you are craving a mid-afternoon snack put away the salty and empty calorie pretzels and replace them with a high fiber, low calorie snack, such as an orange.
The beauty of citrus fruits is that there are so many options to choose from. You can reap many of the same benefits above from an array of available citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and the list goes on. As much as you never like to admit it, it seems for the reasons above that there was a method to your parent’s madness of trying to get you to eat citrus fruits while you were growing up.
If I eat sugar on my grapefruit, does that cancel out its nutritious-ness?
ReplyDeleteI knew they were healthy, but didn't know how healthy until I read this post.
ReplyDeleteAwesome and interesting article. Great things you've always shared with us. Thanks. Just continue composing this kind of post. gourmet nuts
ReplyDelete