Over the past few months, I’ve been working on some exciting projects, and one being researching the health benefits of blood oranges. Here are some of the highlights and why you need more of these crimson beauties in your diet.
Blood oranges come with genuine sass.
With colour like no other, these bloodied splendours have long been revered for their natural beauty. What you may not know is they’re technically classified as a berry* (yes, really!); they’re at their absolute optimum onwards from August – a time when we can often be left uninspired as we wait to usher in the spring deluge of stone fruits and summer berries; and they pack a serious health punch.
Nutrition wise, blood oranges are unique amongst citrus varieties. When compared with other citrus fruits there are significant differences in nutrients between blood oranges and other orange varieties. Beyond the alluring aesthetics, blood oranges offer health-promoting nutrients and traits that have wide-ranging protective powers.
With nine times the antioxidants, double the Vitamin A of navel oranges and a raft of polyphenols (potent plant chemicals) that regular oranges don’t have, they outclass their citrus cousins for their health promoting benefits with one blood orange equivalent to eating a whole bag (around 2 kilograms) of navels to get the same hit of antioxidants.
They also hold their own against berries, particularly when assessing affordability and glycaemic load (GL). What’s more, blood oranges are the only commercially available citrus fruit to contain anthocyanins (which are more commonly found in blueberries, cherries and red wine). In addition to anthocyanins, blood oranges contain many other beneficial phytonutrients, known as phenolics (or commonly referred to as polyphenols).
These phenolic compounds in blood oranges have been associated with improved cardiovascular health, protection from UV cell damage and improvements in metabolic disease including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, obesity and have an array of immune boosting properties.
As a bonus, blood oranges also represent an economical way to get these phytonutrients into your diet. Nutrition wise this health cocktail of phenolic compounds make blood oranges unique amongst citrus varieties.
Well, what are you waiting for? Be sure to add some of these bright red beauties into your shopping trolley today.
You can download the full health report here.
Recipe
NO BAKE BLOOD ORANGE TART
INGREDIENTS:
tart base
- 3.5 cups pecans
- 6-7 Medjool dates, pitted
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
cashew cream filling
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained
- 1/3 water
- 2 tb maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
topping
- 7 blood oranges, peeled, pith and seeds removed, and evenly sliced into small segments
- 1 tsp lemon zest
METHOD
- Place all tart base ingredients into a high-speed blender and process until it forms a crumb like texture.
- Place mixture into a 23 cm flan (tart) pan with removable base and evenly press into the base making sure you press against the sides of the pan to create a crust like shape for the tart base. Damp fingers work best. Set tart shell aside.
- To make the filling, blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and thick mixture, about 5 minutes, scraping sides as needed. Pour into prepared shell, spreading evenly. Place in the fridge to set for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, arrange orange slices on top of tart and sprinkle with lemon zest and crushed nuts and serve immediately.
Originally posted on the Fitness First Get There site
