The Many Benefits of Orange Peel
Do you like drinking a fresh glass of orange juice first thing in the morning Great! Now, what do you do with the peels? If you throw them away, it’s a big waste. In this article, we’ll look at the many surprising health benefits of orange peel. Keep reading to find out more!
The benefits of orange peel
Oranges are a delicious, refreshing, and nutritious fruit with a wealth of healthy properties. Furthermore, their many varieties are enjoyed across the globe, and of course, we all take advantage of their vitamins to start the day in the healthiest way possible. However, we mostly tend to use their pulp as opposed to their peel. By throwing it out, you lose out on the amazing health benefits of orange peel. Find out what they are below.
Reduces cholesterol
Orange peel contains hesperidin, a flavonoid with properties that metabolizes blood lipids and reduces them to help your body eliminate them. There is 20% more hesperidin in orange peel than in the fruit. So give it a try, it can help lower your cholesterol.
Provides natural fiber for your intestinal flora
Orange peel contains pectin, a natural fiber that protects against possible stomach problems. What’s more, it helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. In addition, pectin also provides good bacteria that help to care for your intestinal flora, facilitating digestion and relieving bouts of constipation.
Additional reading: How to Use Celery to Alleviate Constipation
Combats infections
Indeed, the benefits of orange peel provide better protection against infections than the fruit itself. They’re packed with vitamins that boost the immune system to fight colds and the flu. Wonderful, right?
Helps you lose weight
Surprised? From now on, don’t forget that orange peel is a natural ally for weight loss. If you make tea with it, you’ll increase your metabolism. In addition, you’ll eliminate body fat and boost your energy levels. You can drink two glasses of tea a day, one after waking up and another in the evening.
What does orange peel have to offer?
At this point, you’re probably wondering what the best way to prepare orange peel is so that you can benefit from all their great properties. Firstly, they can be used daily in jam as a delicious addition to desserts. But of course, jams do contain a lot of sugar, which is why they’re not quite recommended.
Learn more: Health Benefits of Consuming Less Sugar
Finally, the best, easiest, and healthiest way to take advantage of the many natural benefits of orange peel is to prepare a simple tea. How? It’s easy. Ideally, drink this infusion twice daily, in order to protect your digestive system, reduce cholesterol, and reinforce your immune system.
In the morning and the evening, boil a cup of water. Then, add a tablespoon and a half of orange zest per cup of water. Let it boil for 10 minutes, and let it infuse for another five. In the winter, you can add a teaspoon of honey. In the summer, add ice and cinnamon for a refreshing beverage. It’s delicious!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Hegazy, A. E., & Ibrahium, M. I. (2012). Antioxidant activities of orange peel extracts. World Applied Sciences Journal. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2012.18.05.64179
- Li, B. B., Smith, B., & Hossain, M. M. (2006). Extraction of phenolics from citrus peels: I. Solvent extraction method. Separation and Purification Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2005.07.005
- Yaşar, F., Toǧrul, H., & Arslan, N. (2007). Flow properties of cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose from orange peel. Journal of Food Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.10.022