3 other health reasons to eat an orange a day.

Citrus fruit is available all year round but it's in winter when it particularly shines. Traditional navel oranges, mandarins, tangelos, grapefruit, and lemons are in good supply at this time of year but don't just stock up because they're well priced and in season. Aside from their great taste and immune boosting qualities, here are 3 other health reasons to include an orange in your daily diet.

Oranges for eye health

The study conducted by researchers at Sydney's Westmead Institute for Medical Research found people who regularly eat oranges are less likely to develop macular degeneration than people who do not eat oranges.

The study followed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 50 over a 15-year period and found that those who ate at least one serving of oranges every day had more than a 60% reduced risk of developing late macular degeneration 15 years later.

One in seven Australians over 50 have some signs of macular degeneration. Age is the strongest known risk factor, and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50.

There is currently no cure for the disease.
The data showed that the antioxidants, flavonoids found in oranges appear to help protect against the disease.

Up until recently, research into eye health was focused on the effects of common nutrients such as vitamins C, E, and A, however, this research found that flavonoids have important anti-inflammatory benefits for the immune system which protect the eyes.

Oranges for bone health

While dairy foods do offer the most dietary calcium, if you don't like or you can't eat dairy, then you will have to include other foods which contain calcium in your daily diet. One 140 g orange supplies the body with around 60 mg of calcium.

Other foods to include are kale, okra, cabbage, broccoli, almonds, sesame seeds, lentils, tofu, and white beans.

Oranges to protect against scurvy.

It's an ancient disease that has reared its ugly head again. Scurvy has been known since ancient times, as the sailor's disease but patients with diabetes have recently been found to have scurvy. Concerned about raising blood sugar levels from eating fresh fruit, they were found to have extremely low levels of vitamin C. Overcooking vegetables and not eating enough fresh fruit can result in a dietary deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The condition is characterised by severe bruising, wounds that won't heal, anemia, exhaustion, and swelling in some parts of the body. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 45 mg a day. One orange supplies the body with 70 mg

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