Mandarin Oranges for Prosperity – and Health!

Mandarin oranges may be a staple during Chinese New Year celebrations – but you just might want to include these citrus fruits in your daily diet! Here’s why.

 

Think Chinese New Year – and a certain citrus fruit comes to mind. Aside from delicacies such as pineapple tarts, nian gao (a type of glutinous rice cake) and love letters, the mandarin orange is also a staple treat during the Chinese New Year festivities. Its sweet taste and sumptuous pulpy flesh are much enjoyed by young and old alike, but ‘yumminess’ aside, the mandarin orange is also high in nutritional value – offering those who regularly include it in their diet numerous health benefits.

Reducing the risk of cancer

Like its fellow members of the citrus family, mandarin oranges have been shown to have anti-cancer properties. A Japanese study found that chronic viral hepatitis patients who drank mandarin orange juice daily for a year not only showed no signs of liver cancer – a possible complication of chronic hepatitis – but also experienced a significant reduction in liver cancer risk. In contrast, 8.9% of those who did not consume the beverage daily developed liver cancer during that one year-period.

There have also been other studies suggesting that hesperidin and tangeritin – components abundantly found in mandarin oranges – could inhibit the growth of cancers of the breast, blood and prostate. However, more evidence is required.

Protecting your heart

Mandarin oranges are rich sources of antioxidants like naringenin, which has been shown to significantly decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the blood.

This, in turn, lowers your risk of heart disease, leading to a marked reduction of heart-related complications such as stroke, high blood pressure and heart attack.

Boosting skin health

The older we get, the weaker our skin’s structural support becomes. This occurs because the skin’s collagen – the protein responsible for making our skin smooth and supple – begins to degrade at a faster rate as we age.

But with a diet high in vitamin C and flavonoids (pigments which give vegetables and fruits their colours) – two ingredients which are abundantly present in mandarin oranges – this degradation process can be slowed down while enabling healthy collagen formation to take place.

Preserving vision

Beta-carotene is the substance that gives mandarin oranges their signature deep orange colour. When consumed, it can be converted into retinol – a type of vitamin A – which is necessary for good vision.

Meanwhile, other antioxidants found in mandarin oranges, like lutein, can protect the eyes from diseases like macular degeneration, which impairs vision.

Good source of dietary fibre

A single cup of mandarin orange pieces contains as much as 1.8g of dietary fibre, which is just below 10% of your daily recommended intake. Not only can sufficient quantities of fibre in the body decrease the risk of gastrointestinal complications like irritable bowel syndrome and constipation, they also contribute to a healthy balance of blood sugar levels.

So, don’t just indulge in mandarin oranges during the Chinese New Year festivities – incorporate their juicy, pulpy goodness into your daily diet! Whether eating them plain, tossing them in a salad or incorporating them into a dessert recipe, mandarin oranges are bound to boost your health while pleasing your taste buds.

Source:http://www.healthtoday.net/malaysia/Nutriwise/2013/02Feb/MandarinOrangesforProsperityandHealth.aspx