Most fruits and vegetables are known to help weight loss, but some are more beneficial, like citrus fruits. While citrus has always been available, in many households in Massachusetts during the early 1900s, it was often considered a special treat to receive an orange as a Christmas gift or have citrus fruit available to eat. Today, citrus fruit is quite common, but still valued by many for its health benefits, including that of aiding weight loss. Is there one better than another for losing weight?
There are a variety of citrus fruits available today.
You’ll find all types of citruses at your local grocery, but oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes and grapefruit are often the most popular. These popular options, like all types of citruses, are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, but it also may aid weight loss. Some studies indicate that people who are deficient in vitamin C may have a harder time losing weight. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll automatically shed those extra pounds by eating more, but citrus fruit is relatively low in calories, so it could help you avoid eating higher calorie options and it all boils down to calories consumed.
You probably already heard that drinking lemon or lime water can help boost your metabolism.
Lemon and limes are associated with weight loss, mostly by adding the juice to water. It’s supposed to boost your metabolism, but it won’t help at all if you’re eating tons of calories. What it can do is fill you up, keep you hydrated and when consumed before a meal, help you to eat less. It’s a way of cutting calories in your diet, while adding extra nutrients. However, the limonoids, specifically nomoline, in lemons and limes have been shown to help slow weight gain in rats fed a high fat diet.
Blood oranges have a distinctive red blood color from anthocyanins.
Another lab animal study in 2013 found that consuming these red oranges helped slow weight gain, while boosting insulin sensitivity when the animals were fed a high fat diet. Eating regular oranges also helped with weight loss, but only if you ate the fruit, not just consumed the juice. The reason is the high sugar content, which is slowed in entering your blood stream by the fiber in the orange. A 2013 study showed that those who drank orange juice increased their risk for type 2 diabetes, while people who consumed the actual fruit reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Grapefruit has a low glycemic index, so they won’t elevate blood sugar levels as much. Research shows that consuming grapefruit may help with weight loss, but you have to be careful, especially if you’re taking medications or have a health issue.
- Have a tangerine to help prevent fat from accumulating. Tangerines contain nobiletin that is also found in oranges, lemons and grapefruit. The most nobiletin is present in bitter orange, also known as bigarade orange, bergamot orange, marmalade orange and Seville orange.
- Kumquats aren’t often part of the average person’s diet, but they should be. It can aid in weight loss. This orange cherry tomato sized fruit is eaten whole, since the peel is sweet, but the juice is sour. Animal studies show eating the fruit may slow weight gain in animals fed high fat diets.
- Citrus fruits have many other benefits besides weight loss and should be part of your daily diet. They improve your immune system, heart health, reduce the risk of cancer and even help protect brain cells.
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