Citrus fruits, such as orange or pineapple, promote benefits, mainly for the formation and maintenance of the health of cells throughout the body. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which is an essential component in the formation of collagen, for example, a protein that gives skin elasticity and firmness.
Citrus fruits also strengthen the immune system, are important to prevent diseases, such as scurvy, and to increase iron absorption, thus helping to fight anemia.
Other benefits of citrus fruits involve:
- Maintain a beautiful and healthy skin; Help to lose weight, because they have few calories; Reduce constipation, because they are rich in fibers; Improve the hydration of the body, because they are rich in water.
Despite all the benefits of citrus fruits, those who have inflammation of the esophagus should avoid these fruits, as they can aggravate the pain. Who has this problem can choose foods with less amount of vitamin C, such as avocado, apricot, pumpkin or zucchini, for example, to get the necessary amount of vitamin C to the body, without damaging the inflammation of the esophagus.
List of citrus fruits
Citrus fruits are all those that have a high amount of ascorbic acid, which is vitamin C and which is responsible for the acidic taste of these fruits. Some examples of citrus fruits are:
- Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, Lime, Strawberry, Kiwi.
A 100 g serving of strawberries or 1 glass of natural orange juice a day, for example, is sufficient to meet the body's daily requirement of vitamin C, which for a healthy adult is 60 mg.
See a complete list of foods rich in vitamin C: Foods rich in vitamin C
The best way to eat citrus fruits is natural, without any processing, because vitamin C is spoiled by light, air and heat. Citrus fruit juices should be placed in the refrigerator in a dark, covered jar, for example, to prevent vitamin C from being spoiled. Cakes with citrus fruits, like orange cake, no longer have vitamin C because when it goes into the oven, heat destroys the vitamin.
Citrus fruits in pregnancy and breastfeeding
Citrus fruits in pregnancy and breastfeeding help women to ingest the necessary amount of vitamin C for the body, which is higher during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Pregnant women need 85 mg of vitamin C per day and lactating women 120 mg per day, which are easily achieved with 2 servings of 100 g citrus fruits, such as orange and kiwi, for example.
Since citrus fruits have fibers, they can cause abdominal discomfort in the baby. If the mother sees changes in the baby when she eats citrus fruits, she can choose other foods that are sources of vitamin C, such as bananas and carrots, for example.
