Nutrition facts & Health benefits of Oranges

Oranges are some of the most widely consumed fruits in the world. In the year of 2019 Brazil was the largest producer followed by China and India.

In this post & video I am going to speak about the nutrition facts of oranges & also explain some of their health benefits.

Contents

Nutritional profile | Water | Carbohydrates | Fat & Protein | Energy | Health benefits | Conclusion |

Nutritional profile of Oranges

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Prashanth Reddy Cheruku

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I created this platform with a mission: to educate people worldwide about Food Science, Nutrition & Preventive Healthcare. Our ultimate goal is to enhance both lifespan and healthspan—not just for people, but for PETS too!
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I am a qualified Food Engineer & Sports Nutritionist with over 13 years of research & content creation experience. My academic background includes:
🎓 Master of Technology in Food Process Engineering
📍 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

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Water

Like all the fruits oranges are also rich in water. It consists of about 87% of the total weight of these fruits. One small orange weighing 131 grams has close to 114 grams of water. 

When the weather is hot and dry eating oranges or drinking orange juice can be quite beneficial for us. They not only quench our thirst but also provide us energy and vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates

Close to 12% of the total weight of oranges is carbohydrate. A fruit weighing 131 grams provides us 15.5 grams of carbohydrates. It also provides us around 3 grams of dietary fibre. We can say that oranges are a moderately good source of dietary fibre.

The major portion of the carbohydrates present in these fruits is sugars. They constitute about 9.5% of the total weight.

Fat & Protein

Fat and protein are essential nutrients for humans. They must be present in right quantities in an ideal food product.

But, like most of the fresh fruits oranges are also very poor sources of fat & protein.

The fat content is almost negligible at just 0.12%. The protein content stands at just below 1%.

Hence, it is not a good idea to depend full time on oranges or the orange juice. Oranges can be an excellent part of a diet but should never be considered as a complete meal.

Energy

The energy content of oranges is quite low. A fruit weighing 131 grams provides us just 62 Cal or 258 kJ of energy. This is one of the major reasons why the oranges can be used to reduce or manage your weight.

They can be an excellent snack or an addition to your breakfast. Thanks to their fibre and water content our stomach feels full for longer time and this helps us avoid high energy, sugary and salty snacks at meal breaks.

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Health benefits

Oranges are also excellent sources of some micronutrients.

As you might be aware they are an excellent source of vitamin C. The reference fruit weighing 131 grams provides us close to 78% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Vitamin C can help us fight with infections and also helps in healing wounds. Vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant that can help us fight with premature ageing of the skin and brain.

They are also good sources of various B vitamins such as thiamine, Pantothenic acid, Folate, pyridoxine and riboflavin. All these vitamins offer a wide range of health benefits.

For example, folate is a very important vitamin for women who are planning to conceive and also during pregnancy. Deficiency in folate can result in birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord. Consuming these fruits on a regular basis can provide this essential vitamin.

They also contain minerals such as Calcium and Potassium in smaller quantities at just around 5% daily value.

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Conclusion

1. Oranges are very low energy fruits with ample amount of water and a moderate amount of sugar content. Orange juice is consumed as an addition to the breakfast in many parts of the world and its actually famous for that.
2. They offer a moderately good amount of dietary fibre. Majority of people across the world do not consume enough fibre on a daily basis. Consuming good amount of fibre can help us in weight management and also keeps our digestive system healthy by providing fuel for the beneficial gut bacteria.
3. Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. They are also moderately good sources of several B vitamins such as thiamine, Folate and pantothenic acid. 
4. Oranges also have their own drawbacks. They are very poor sources of fat and protein. Hence they do not provide us the essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, and fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E & K. They can be part of a healthy diet but should never be considered as a complete meal.
5. Overall oranges are fruits with limited amount of nutrients that can be consumed as an addition to a proper meal or as a snack.

I hope the information presented in this post & video is useful to you. Let us know if you have any questions.