The benefits of citrus
It is rare to meet people who would not like at least one of the types of citrus! They sprouted in dense thickets in the gastronomic preferences of Russians, and entrenched there forever.) Now, no one in our country can imagine the New Year without bright and beautiful, like New Year’s toys, mandarin! And few culinary experts imagine a sauce for fish dishes without lemons.
Closer to the topic: There are many kinds of citrus. About 50 natural, and for 200 years, agronomists have crossed another 9 species by crossing. Of course, we will not write about all of them, this is not an agronomist biologists site (with all due respect to them). We will write only about the most delicious), the most common in Russia. In order for you to know about their benefits in more!
Let’s start with my favorite common:
Orange
Remember the Soviet cartoon in which the animals sing: “We shared an orange – a lot of us, and he is one!” Now there are a lot of oranges for sale, that’s enough for everyone! And all thanks to the Portuguese navigators who brought the first trees from Southeast Asia to Europe. The fact that the fruits are found on the market in Europe in our time, you can read in our article, a report on a trip to Nice.
Orange, as everyone knows, strengthens the immune system and protects the body from heart attack, reduces the pressure and the development of cancer diseases. One orange contains 1/4 of the daily human dose of vitamin C !!! They also contain a lot of pectin, bioflovanoid, potassium and magnesium. Oranges are a real treasure in terms of vitamins, they contain vitamins A, PP, B1, B2, and many useful trace elements (iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus), without which our body would not be so healthy and beautiful. Potassium contained in an orange prevents the increase in pressure, contributes to the fastest weight loss and recovery of bones. Still, some scientists believe that the substances contained in oranges can help recovery from tumors of the stomach, skin, large intestine and oral cavity.
Grapefruit
This exotic citrus, beloved by many, was discovered in 1750 by a priest in Barbados. Probably for this, the first name of citrus was “Forbidden Fruit”. And the name “grapefruit” was invented by the Jamaican in the early 18th century. Now there are more than 20 species of this plant.
The benefits of grapefruit speak mainly because of the vitamins contained in it. It contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C), B2, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium. In addition, grapefruit has a variety of mineral salts, phytoncides, organic acids and essential oils. It also contains antioxidants that lower cholesterol. This is especially important for people with coronary heart disease and circulatory diseases, for whom high cholesterol is another risk factor. Thus, one grapefruit per day helps to normalize the level of cholesterol in the blood! Researchers from the University of Jerusalem, came to the conclusion that grapefruits with “red” pulp contain much more cholesterol-lowering substances than grapefruits of “yellow” varieties!
Lemon
Lemon juice is an excellent source of vitamin C. The fact that this vitamin promotes immunity is long known. But, more, scientists recently proved that vitamin C accelerates the process of losing weight. Dr. Carol Johnston of Arizona State University in America claims that people who regularly consume vitamin C burn 30% more fat. So you just learned another helper in weight loss!
Lemon contains a large amount of natural polymer pectin-bonding substances of plant origin, which reduces appetite. Pectin, which is found in abundance in citrus, allows you to quickly get enough. This conclusion was made by scientists from the Brooke Medical Center in Texas. During the experiment, doctors offered orange juice or ice cream to recruits as a supplement to the main course. Soldiers who drank the juice reported that they felt full for 4 hours. The soldiers, who preferred ice cream, felt hunger within an hour and a half after eating. The thing is that poor digestion makes it harder to burn fat. Lemon in large quantities contains citric acid (surprisingly, right?), Which restores the acid-base balance and makes the digestive system work more efficiently. Citric acid is used in medicine, including as part of products that improve metabolism.
Contraindications: Citrus fruits (when taken in large quantities) for weight loss are not suitable for people with high acidity of the stomach, and problems of the gastrointestinal tract. Some people may experience an allergic reaction in the form of a rash, redness or blistering on the skin. If you drink sleeping drugs with acidic citrus juice, this can lead to the development of an ulcer. Because drugs slow down the process of digestion in the stomach, and citric acid lingering in the stomach violates its acidity.
