Despite their sorta creepy name, you don’t have to be afraid of blood oranges. These delish, ruby-fleshed citrus fruits are packed with sweet flavor plus a ton of nutrients and beneficial plant compounds.
Here’s what you need to know about how they can help you reach your health goals, plus how to get more of them in your diet.
5 benefits of blood oranges
Blood orange nutrition
Blood oranges are a type of sweet orange. They contain pigments known asanthocyaninsin their flesh, and sometimes in their peels, while other oranges don’t have this component. This pigment gives the flesh of blood oranges a deep, reddish color that earned them the name “blood” orange.
An 8-ounce serving of fresh-squeezed blood orange juiceprovides:
Like most fruits,blood orangesare low in calories, fat, and protein, and high in carbs and natural sugars.
Whole blood oranges vs. blood orange juice
Blood orange juice isn’t a good source offiber, but whole blood oranges are. Why opt for whole fruit when you can? Becausefibercan help youfeel full longerand even promote healthy blood sugar regulation.
You can expect to get the same amount of fiber from blood oranges as you would with regular oranges. For example, a 4.2-ounce orange contains about3 gramsof fiber. That’s about 11 percent of the28-gramDV for fiber.
Both whole fruit and blood orange juice are smart choices if you’re looking to boost your nutrient intake, though, and can benefit health in plenty of ways.
1. Provides a rich source of vitamin C
Vitamin Cis needed for a number of superimportant processesin the body, like collagen production and immune response.
This vitamin also acts as a powerfulantioxidant. That means it helps protect cells againstoxidative damagecaused by unstable molecules calledfree radicals.
Maintaining optimal vitamin C levels is extremely important for your overall health. Studies show that having low levels of vitamin C may be associated with an increased risk of conditions like high blood pressure,heart disease, andcertain cancers.
2. Contains a boatload of beneficial plant compounds
In addition to vitamin C, blood oranges contain a ton of other types of antioxidants.
Allorangesare excellent sources of antioxidant compounds like flavonoids and carotenoids. But blood oranges stand out from other oranges because they also containanthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are flavonoid pigments that give fruits likecherries,grapes, and strawberries their reddish color. These pigments have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the bod.
Research suggests that eating anthocyanin-rich foods (like blood oranges and berries) regularly may help protect againsthealth conditionslike heart disease andtype 2 diabetes.
PSA: Simply eating lots of blood oranges won’t protect you from developing health conditions. Your overall diet and lifestyle that matters most when it comes to disease prevention.
3. May have anti-inflammatory effects in your body
Some studies suggest that drinking blood orange juice may be a tasty way to lower inflammatory markers in your` bod.
Not all inflammation is bad. In fact, acute (short-term) inflammation is anessential partof your immune response. However, chronic (long-term) inflammation can increase your chance of developing lots of health conditions. Aresearch reviewsuggested that following a produce-rich diet can help decrease the risk of health conditions associated with chronic inflammation.
A2015 studyshowed that drinking blood orange juice for 8 weeks reduced participants’ inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and increased blood antioxidant activity.
In a small,older 2012 study, drinking 16.9 ounces of blood orange juice daily for 7 days also led to significant reductions in CRP. Plus, it reduced other inflammatory markers, like interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α).
4. Benefits your heart health
Keeping your heart in tip top condition is critical for your overall health.
One of the best ways to take care of your heart is to eat lots of nutritious foods like veggies and fruits (including blood oranges). In fact, aresearch reviewsuggested that diets rich in citrus fruits may help protect against heart disease and stroke.
A smallstudythat included 15 people found that drinking 13.5 ounces of blood orange juice daily for 2 weeks led to significant improvements in flow mediated dilation (FMD). That’s a measure of blood vessel function, and blood vessel function is associated with elevated heart disease risk.
In fact,studiesfindings suggest that every 1 percent increase in FMD maydecrease the future riskof cardiovascular events by as much as 13 percent.
Plus, following a fruit and veg-heavy diet can help reduce otherheart disease risk factorslike high blood pressure andhigh blood lipid levels.
So, drink (and eat) up!
5. Boosts your intake of important nutrients
It’s really common to have low dietary intakes of certain nutrients likepotassium, fiber, andcalcium. Why? One of the main reasons is that most peeps don’t consume nearly enough fruits andveggieson a daily basis.
In fact, potassium is considered a “nutrient of public health concern” by theU.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesbecause most Americans don’t get enough in their diets.
Because potassium is necessary for blood pressure regulation, nervous system function, and more, not getting enough of this nutrient can take a toll on your health.
Just one 8-ounce serving of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice covers11 percentof your potassium needs. Plus, blood oranges contain smaller amounts of fiber, iron, and calcium, which are also considered “nutrients of public health concern.”
How to enjoy blood oranges
You might have a tough time finding fresh blood oranges in your local grocery store, but you may be able to find blood orange juice.
Just be sure you’re purchasing 100 percent blood orange juice and not blood orange-flavored drinks that have tons ofadded sugar.
Once you get your hands on some whole blood oranges or blood orange juice, here’s how to incorporate them into your daily diet:
There’s no wrong way to eat blood oranges, so don’t be afraid to try these beauties in your fave sweet and savory recipes.
The bottom line
If you’re looking for an orange upgrade, give blood oranges a try.
They’re packed with nutrients and can boost your health in several ways. You might have to hit up a specialty online grocery store to find whole blood oranges, but blood orange juice is generally a more accessible option that provides most of the same benefits.
