Great Health Benefits of Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are sour-tasting fruits which can be obtained from the shrubs of the Rutaceae family. Besides having sour taste they also have a mild sweet taste.

Citrus Fruits

Good examples for citrus fruits are Lemon, Orange, Amla, Narattai, Satthukudi. Majority of people like them as they have a mixture of sour and sweet. The sour taste is due to the presence of the citric acid and vitamin C in them.

Health Benefits of Citrus Fruits

Vitamin ‘C’ and citric acid in citrus fruits boost immunity. These increase the number of white blood cells in the body which protect us from infections by viruses and bacteria. Particularly vitamin C helps in safe metabolism. It cures ‘scurvy’ which causes by vitamin ‘C’ deficiency. Drinking soups of lemons and gooseberries can also help prevent colds, coughs and fevers that can occur in the winter.

Moreover, these citrus fruits are naturally acidic and help in proper digestion. They also prevent gum and dental related diseases. They promote bone health and improve eye, skin and hair health. This kind of fruits will also prevent over weight.

If women have these during pregnancy, it protects the health of the baby and the mother. Helps largely in the development of the nervous system.

Natural and Synthetic Citric Acids

In practice, citric acid and vitamin C are available naturally and synthetically.Citric acid naturally is high in lemons.

Natural citric acids give our body the energy it needs. It is present in all the citrus fruits which help in maintaining good health. During the digestion process citric acid is converted into potassium citrate which helps the kidneys to function well. Also, it prevents the formation of kidney stones. Increases digestive power and helps to get rid of problems like constipation.

Of course, citric acid can also be synthetically produced. However, consuming artificially made citric acid can cause many health problems for the majority of the people. For some people, allergies cause headaches, fatigue, and so on. Apart from that, artificial vitamin C can cause some side effects. So, if you want to avoid such problems you should add citrus fruits everyday

Citrus Fruits Are Good For The People with Diabetes

People with diabetes get good health benefits by eating citrus fruits. Oranges, Sathukudi, Lemons, and Gooseberries are low in glycemic index and they can be added to the diet frequently by people with diabetes. Thus they can control blood sugar level and lead a healthy life.

Citrus Fruit Juices And Pickles

Since most citrus fruits have a sweet and sour taste and people like to drink fruit juices made from them. Pickles made from lemon, and gooseberry are important ingredient of South Indian meals.

Other Nutrients in Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits contain a lot of other nutrients besides vitamin ‘C’ and citric acid which are essential for good health. For example, the sodium, potassium, calcium and iron in lemons are very important for health.

Sathukudis are rich in nutrients such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Amla contains good loads of copper, fiber, carbohydrates, protein and a small amount of fat.

Oranges are high in carbohydrates, protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, sodium, calcium and vitamin C.