Citrus Power, Seriously

Mmmm, juicy!  That little orange you see sitting on the front of your juice container is stronger than you think.  A recent study that was published a few weeks ago in the online Stroke journal, and reported by The Globe and Mail, eating more oranges and grapefruit may help reduce stroke risk thanks to their flavonoid content.

The study compiled 14 years of data from the U.S. Nurses’ Health Study that involved 69,622 healthy women who would report their food intake every four years.   Researchers reported that “over the course of the study, only 1,803 individuals had strokes occur, half of which were ischemic strokes – caused when blood clots interrupt blood flow to part of the brain.” 

The study also found, that the higher the intake of flavanone – a flavonoid found in citrus fruits – women had, were 19 per cent less likely to suffer a blood-clot related stroke compared to the individuals whose diet contained less.

The majority of flavanones (95 per cent) are found in oranges, grapefruit and their juices.  The Globe reported that, “The women who had a higher intake of citrus consumed 63 milligrams a day – an amount that can be found in 1 pink grapefruit, 1 large orange, or 1 large cup of orange juice made from frozen concentrate.”    

Citrus packs a big punch, full of natural healthy vitamins that benefit your body in the long run.  They contain vitamin C, folate, potassium, thiamin, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and fibre.  And a citrus fruit rich diet has its perks, for it’s been associated with a lower risk of digestive tract cancers, lung cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer. It's never too late to start your citrus intake, old or young, a healthy diet is important to maintain.   

Who knew that the benefit of consuming these little guys could be so great?

Click below for 10 ways, The Globe and Mail has listed, to enjoy citrus:

•Add orange segments or ½ cup of 100 per cent orange juice to a breakfast smoothie.

• Enjoy half a grapefruit with your morning meal.

• Mix orange slices with low-fat yogurt for a midday snack.

• Toss citrus fruit segments into green and spinach salads. (The vitamin C in citrus will enhance your body’s ability to absorb iron from leafy greens.)

• Use freshly squeezed citrus juice in vinaigrettes and other salad dressings.

• Top low-fat cottage cheese with orange or grapefruit segments and toasted walnuts for a light lunch. Drizzle freshly squeezed orange juice.

• Place thinly sliced lemons, peel and all, underneath and around fish before baking. Baking softens the lemon so it can be eaten too.

• Toss cooked brown rice or quinoa with chickpeas, scallions, lime juice and lime zest for a tasty side dish.

• Sauté sliced cooked beets with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest for a vegetable dish.

• Combine diced grapefruit with cilantro, chopped red peppers and red onion for a fruit salsa to serve with chicken or fish. 

And for all those who are trying to maintain a diet – click here for counting citrus calories.