These days it isn’t so unusual to find discarded peels of fruit covering the bottom of our kitchen sink. The various shades of orange complement the black surface very nicely, I must say. While it’s an ongoing battle to get our boys to automatically clean up after themselves rather than leave their mess behind, it’s nice to see they’ve chosen a decent snack to satisfy those hunger pangs. After all, this is the season for delicious, juicy citrus of all kinds—and the perfect time to indulge.
Isn’t it clever of Mother Nature to make sure the fruit of the winter season is jam-packed with vitamin C, a key nutrient for a robust immune system? While vitamin C is synonymous with citrus, it happily provides your body with other nourishment as well. Let’s look specifically at the easy-to-locate orange.
Flesh – Yes, the juiciest part of this fruit provides a one-two punch of vitamin C. It also gives you potassium, folate, and phytochemicals. These nutrients help with things like collagen formation, new cell formation, transmitting nerve impulses to your muscles, and keeping chronic disease at arm’s length. Delicious and nutritious.
Rind – Also known as the “outer skin” or “peel,” the rind houses the lovely flesh. If nothing else, it smells amazing—no matter which type of citrus you prefer. You can use the peel to freshen up your garbage disposal or, if you’re so inclined, add it to some homemade stovetop potpourri. It’s often used in dried potpourri too. Have you ever used citrus rind for making zest? The result of finely grating or scraping the outer skin, zest is commonly used in cooking and baking. The zest contains bioflavonoids (find out more in the Atwood article mentioned below), so be sure not to throw it away willy-nilly. Citrus zest adds a little something to most anything you make.
Pith – This is the papery white inner skin you find under the rind or outer skin. It contains all kinds of fiber and, as Maria Atwood points out in “Help! My Body Is Getting Flabby,” the pith contains P complex, or bioflavonoids. It’s a bit bitter, but I encourage our boys not to be too diligent about getting every last bit of the pith off before tossing a section into their mouths.
If you’ve ever been baffled by the wide array of citrus at the market, this article explains the characteristics of 12 citrus varieties, including when each is in season. A useful tool to find what you’re craving the first time around.
If you’d like to take your citrus game to the next level, give Chef Briana Nervig’s recipe for Seared Scallops with Grapefruit-Avocado Salad a try. You almost won’t want to eat it because it’s so pretty to look at. (I suggest you devour it though.)
And if you want a better understanding of vitamin C, you need to read Dr. Lowell Keppel’s “The Truth About Vitamin C.” A simple explanation of this complex nutrient and why ascorbic acid doesn’t quite cut it for your health.
Yes, the juiciest time of the year has arrived. Now get out there and take advantage of it!
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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Love this article…thanks Paula
Well, thank you very much, Phyllis. I trust all is well with you. I have been loving your wildlife photos on Facebook! :)
Orange you glad you wrote this, Paula! :)
Thank you for the big snorting laugh this morning, Sam! :) Orange you glad you read it?
Oh, I’m so glad to hear you snorted! :)