Contributed by Aurora LaJambre, Catalogs.com Info Guru
No doubt, citrus varieties make the world a better place. Loaded with healthy acids, citrus fruits are among the most detoxifying fruits.
The sweet, sour or exotic flavors are craved across the globe, but it’s the enormous health benefits that merit a Top Ten list dedicated to these juicy bursts of edible sunshine.
Expand your palette with a bottomless fruit basket of many citrus varieties, or stick to ever-popular Florida oranges. Improve your health and make the body grow, with a daily dose from the Top 10 Citrus Varieties:
10. Tangelo
Tangelos are a fancy citrus variety hybrid of tangerines and pomelos or grapefruits. The loose skin on these super juicy fruits make them easy to peel so you can enjoy the mild sweetness in no time. Also known as honeybells, they are high in folate, potassium, and contain 217% the recommended Daily Value of vitamin C.
9. Pomelo
You’ve probably seen this pale green fruit in grocery stores, but may not have tasted its mild sweet flavors that resemble a grapefruit minus the bitterness. The pomelo, also known as the Chinese grapefruit, is high in fiber and the largest citrus fruit at 15-25 cm.
8. Kumquats
Craving something sweet AND savory? When eaten whole, fragrant kumquats have a sweet, juicy rind with a salty, sour center. These round or oval fruits are the size of an olive and provide 14% Daily Value of Vitamin C with only 13 calories. If you happen to have a heaping bowl of Kumquats, do yourself a favor and make a batch of sweet marmalade, or surprise guests by replacing the olive in martinis.
7. Blood orange
One look is all it took with this crimson orange variety. Blood oranges taste tart or sweet, and are one of the most vibrant fruits. Used in Mediterranean cooking, the aromatic, berry-like flavor can even taste a tad spicy. High in antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber, one a day will reduce your risk of heart disease, and cataracts.
6. Clementine
The clementine is an easy-to-peel, snack-sized seedless variety of the mandarin orange growing in popularity in the United States. Used in salads or enjoyed raw, they are moderately juicy with less acid than oranges, but delightfully aromatic and packed with 60% the recommended Daily Value of vitamin C.
5. Tangerine
As a popularity contest, the tangerine is a fiercely delicious, 3000-year old contender. A variety of the mandarin orange, delicious tangerines are easy to share and taste sour or tart. High in fiber, potassium and vitamin C, enjoy tangerines in salads and main dishes.
4. Lemon
What would childhood be without lemonade? Used primarily for its juice and rind in cooking, baking and beverages, bright yellow lemons are the queen of sour. High in folate, fiber and vitamin C, lemons are consumed all over the world. Composed of about 5% citric acid, they’re also used as a fragrant deodorizer, hair lightener and finger moisturizer.
3. Lime
While not ideal for snacking, tart and tangy limes are widely used to flavor Thai cooking, baking, salads, soups and beverages. Available year-round, limes are green and 3-6 cm in diameter. Squeeze fresh lime juice for Mojitos or Brazilian Caipirinhas or over fresh guacamole.
2. Grapefruit
Broiled, squeezed or peeled for breakfast, juicy grapefruits pack a nutrition punch of fiber, potassium and B6. You’ll find red, white and pink-hued grapefruits ranging in taste from slightly sour and acidic to sweet. Fruit-of-the-month clubs feature multiple varieties so you can find your favorite.
1. Oranges
With breakfast, between epic soccer matches, squeezed into a batch of cookies or a perfect marmalade, navel oranges are loved across the globe by people of all ages. It’s the combination of their rich, sweet flavor, energizing juices and refreshing fragrance that makes oranges number 1. High in fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, oranges are a double dose of good nutrition disguised as “nature’s candy”.
Citrus varieties are powerful antioxidants loaded with vitamin C, which helps the body fight infection, cell and tissue damage that can cause disease.
Many citrus fruits also contain folate, magnesium, thiamin and niacin, which help the body generate energy, and reduce the risk of birth defects in babies, depression and memory loss.