How Orange Juice Boosts Your Immunity and Overall Health
Orange juice, fresh orange juice that is made by squeezing an orange is a breakfast staple in many Canadian households, and indeed worldwide. The juice is a concentrated source of a lot of health health-benefiting nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants and folate. Drinking fresh orange juice may benefit heart health, cognitive health, and immune function. This is how orange juice boosts your immunity and overall health. They may also be beneficial in protecting against kidney stones. However, while fresh orange juice that is squeezed by hand or by vending machines provides all these benefits, some variants of the juice that are commercially produced contain minimal amounts of the real orange juice, yet have a lot of added synthetic sugars and other artificial ingredients and may do more harm than good.
What are some of the benefits of consuming fresh orange juice?
Some of the health benefits that may be gotten from drinking Jusfres orange juice or freshly squeezed orange juice include:
Improvement of heart health
Orange juice consumption was found by researchers to improve blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Researchers think that orange juice’s naturally occurring flavonoid, hesperidin, may be the cause of the beverage’s blood pressure-lowering properties, though the precise mechanism by which orange juice supports heart health is unknown.
Antioxidants
Fresh squeezed orange juice is very rich in antioxidants, especially carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamin C. Antioxidants are chemicals that act to neutralize free radicals, thus preventing them from causing damage to cells. Free radicals are very reactive chemicals that are formed naturally in the body that in high concentrations, can lead to cell and DNA damage. This damage can contribute to the development of cancer and other chronic health conditions.
Beneficial in cognitive health
This is the ability to think clearly, learn and remember, and it is important for healthy ageing. It has been found that a higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids like oranges was associated with decreased odds of self-perceived cognitive decline.
Immune function support
A healthy immune system is very vital for survival, as it helps in fighting a variety of diseases, from bacteria to viruses to even more serious health conditions like cancer. A glass of orange juice can provide all the vitamin C requirements that the body needs in a day. It also offers a healthy amount of folate. Both of these nutrients are very important in supporting the health of many different immune cells. A deficiency of vitamin C is linked to impaired immune function and a highly increased risk of infection.
Kidney stone formation prevention
Kidney stones are hard, stone-like materials that form when an individual has high amounts of certain minerals or salts in their urine. The kidney stones can come in different sizes; they can be as small as a grain of salt or as large as a pea. Big stones that are unable to pass through the body can be extremely painful. Orange juice, which is an example of citrus fruits, can increase the levels of urinary citrate and the pH of the urine, which may help prevent the formation of these kidney stones. (1)
Additional Benefits of Orange Juice
It is important to note that these benefits are obtained from fresh orange juice. This is because the nutritional complement is complete, and there are no synthetic sugars or other added contents. This is because the added synthetic components instead of providing health benefits, will contribute to health issues like diabetes and weight gain. Some other benefits that can be gotten from fresh orange juice include:
- Jusfres orange juice can give energy; this is because of its natural sugar content. The juice can provide a quick and natural energy boost without the crash that is usually noticed in other sports drinks.
- Fresh orange juice can reduce inflammation as it contains anti-inflammatory components.
- Fresh orange juice can help with digestion, this is because it contains a lot of enzymes that can aid in the digestion process, while also making it easier for the body to absorb more nutrients.
- Fresh orange juice can hydrate the body excellently. It can also go a long way in replenishing any lost electrolytes, especially during and after a workout.
- Fresh orange juice also can promote healthy skin due to the presence of antioxidants and collagen content. Vitamin C in oranges help the production of collagen which helps promote skin appearance and wound healing. (2)
- Fresh orange juice can help greatly in weight loss. This is because it has very low calories and is very high in nutritional content. This is why it is a very beneficial addition to any weight loss diet.
Making fresh orange juice at home
This is easier than a lot of people may imagine and can be used in the place of commercial bottled orange juices and energy drinks in the morning exercise. The tips are:
- Choosing the best type of orange is the best and most important step for juicing. This is because the taste and flavour of the juice will be greatly impacted by the type of orange or tangerine that is used in the juicing.
- The next step is using a juicer or blender to extract the juice from the orange. While a juicer will produce smoother and more pulp-free juice, a blender-produced orange juice will have some more pulp and fibre.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice when they are stored in airtight containers and placed in refrigerators can last up to three days.
- When serving, the container should be agitated. This is to shake up and mix any settled pulp with the juice.
- This juice can be enjoyed alone or it can be mixed with other fruits and vegetables to create a very healthy, refreshing and delicious smoothie.
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