Eat Citrus!  It’s Good for You!

 

It’s that time of year when candy canes and chocolate truffles lurk at every corner tempting us with their sugary empty calories! Thankfully, it is also the time of year when yummy citrus fruits like Satsuma’s, tangerines and tangelos are at their peak freshness! So tame that sweet tooth with some delicious citrus fruits and benefit from all of the Vitamin C and antioxidants they deliver to you when you eat them!

 

Here a few more reasons to eat citrus fruits:

1)    Citrus packs lots of Vitamin C—according to the World’s Healthiest Foods (WHF) Web site, an average orange has 116 percent of the recommended daily value. In addition to helping you recover from a cold—although it doesn’t help you stave one off—Vitamin C helps strengthen bones, tendons, and ligaments, and has antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

2)    Citrus is also a good source for fiber, potassium, calcium, and a bevy of other nutrients.

3)    The pith—or the pesky white stuff that clings to the fruit and is often discarded—as well as the peel are actually full of nutrients. There’s an organic compound in them, herperidin, that’s linked to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, says WHF. If you plan to use the peel, make sure you buy organic fruit; conventional ones often have wax or pesticide residue on the outside.  

Incorporate Citrus in your next meal with this healthy and tasty salad!

 

Citrus and Pomegranate Salad

 

•   1 Ruby Red grapefruit

•   1 Orange or 2 Small Satsuma

•   1 ½ cups leafy salad greens or baby spinach

•   1 oz (28g) Pomegranate

•   5-6 walnuts roasted and crumbled

•   Balsamic vinaigrette or dressing of your choice