Oranges For Diabetes

Nutrients:

The orange, like any fruit from the citrus family, is very rich in vitamin C. It contains up to 116% of your daily requirement for vitamin C. This fruit is also rich in phytonutrients like flavanones which are antioxidants that oranges are known for. One particular flavanone called hesperetin is known to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. This particular phytonutrient is found in the orange’s peel and pith.

The antioxidants in oranges boost your immunity and protect your body from free radical damage. As oranges are considered healthy, inclusion of oranges in your everyday diet can help prevent chronic conditions like hypertension, obesity and cholesterol in the long run. Orange peel is not always eaten, but once the pith is removed, it can make a nice addition to salads and cakes. The peel is known to contain polymethoxylated flavones which can perform a function similar to statins used in lowering cholesterol. Eating oranges can also prevent cancer.

Oranges are powerhouses of nutrition and can help people suffering from many different conditions. Diabetes is one such condition. Oranges are great fruits that can be included in a regular diet for diabetes because they are not very high in natural sugar and yet high in fiber and other minerals like thiamin. Oranges are also categorized as low-glycemic food or food that slowly releases glucose into the blood.

Diabetics need to have at least three helpings of fruit through their day, based on a 1600-2000 calorie diet. One orange makes up one helping of fruit. Fruits also carry some carbohydrates. An orange has about 60 g of carbohydrates and has to be accordingly adjusted when you include it in your meal.

The best time to consume an orange would be as the sweet ending to a meal. Oranges frequently make an appearance on the breakfast table in the form of orange juice. Diabetics are discouraged from drinking fruit juice, however, orange juice is a very healthy addition. One glass of orange juice is believed to be more beneficial than just consuming vitamin C. Recent researches suggest that orange juice might actually reverse type 2 diabetes. This research has no scientific evidence as yet and definitely should not be considered a valid treatment. Eating fruits is always a better alternative than just drinking fruit juice, especially for diabetics, as eating the whole fruit will also give you fiber and more nutrition as opposed to just drinking the juice. Drinking the juice is also believed to reduce your risk of getting diabetes. This also seems like one study without much scientific evidence. It is important that you do not stop your medication and take to drinking only orange juice. More on health benefits of orange juice

Side Effects:

Drinking too much orange juice might also result in a spike in blood sugar which could have its own set of complications.