Oranges: Nutrition & Health Benefits

Not long ago, I shared a story about a guy I used to work with who was completely obsessed with apples. 

He carried apples around like most people are attached to their phones. It was odd, but there are worse habits to have.

Because apples are great, no doubt. We all know the old saying about an apple a day. 

But what about an orange?

Living in Florida, people here are very “pro-orange.” And since they’re fresh and readily available, I definitely find myself enjoying them more these days.

Now I’m not sure why, but people don't think about oranges as super healthy the way we do about apples. 

Maybe you don't eat oranges that often. And when we usually have an orange, it's typically not the fruit, but a glass of juice.

I mean, we all know that oranges are rich in vitamin C, but we don't think about them much beyond that.

Maybe a study I read will change our minds about this.

Because having just 1 orange a day can reduce the risk of macular degeneration by up to 60%. That is huge, folks.

You should know, this was not a small study. It followed 2,000 people.

This was not a short study. It lasted 15 years.

This was not a study on young folks. All study participants were over 50.

And this was not some difficult, tough to swallow and hard to find miracle answer.

Oranges taste great, are easy to get and aren't expensive either.

Macular degeneration affects over 10 million people a year, when you include those with early stages.

It's scary, it doesn't have a real cure, your doctor has very few answers... and guess what? It's preventable.

If you don't smoke, if you eat green veggies, and if you get regular exercise, your chances of getting macular degeneration go down.

And now you know another quick trick to protect your eyes, and enjoy a juicy snack too.

Besides vitamin C, oranges are chock full of flavonoids, nutrient compounds that your eyes just love. Now, you can get flavonoids from nearly all fruits and vegetables, including apples.

But when it comes to your eyes, the data in the study didn't show the same prevention power with other foods. Not like this.

So why not pick up a bushel of oranges and make them a regular part of your daily routine?

Just be sure to eat the whole fruit, not only the juice. 

God Bless,

Jeff Reagan

Editor, Patriot Health Alliance

P.S. When my kids were little, they used to love “knock knock” jokes. And this was a favorite one they’d repeat a lot:

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Banana”

“Banana who?”

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Banana.”

[At this point, you repeat the pattern several times – my kids would sometimes drag this on, giggling all the way, until finally…]

“Knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“Orange.”

“Orange who?”

“Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?”

I miss those days sometimes.