It is a saying that has no scientific validity. However, if it is true that oranges are a panacea for health, it is good to know that there are certain times of the day when it is preferable to consume these fruits, fresh, whole or as a tasty juice, especially to fully enjoy their many beneficial properties.
The best time of day to eat oranges
To assimilate all the nutrients of oranges — and this also applies to all other fruits — it is best to eat them on an empty stomach, i.e., in the morning for breakfast, after resting or fasting overnight, or as a snack between main meals.
Consuming oranges at these times of day allows the body to fill up on vitamins, minerals and fibre and to get the maximum benefit from this fruit, which has a strong detoxifying and draining action, which is also a powerful anti-cancer and natural anti-inflammatory thanks to its high flavonoid and vitamin C content.
Oranges in the evening?
When to avoid...
It is said that oranges can be heavy on the digestion if eaten after meals and especially in the evening, but, again, this is not a claim with any real scientific basis.
If you don't suffer from any particular health problems, oranges are a fruit that you can eat all the time, even as a tasty treat at the end of a meal.
Consuming oranges after meals should be kept under control if you have stomach problems, such as reflux and gastritis. In these cases, the natural acidic composition of the citrus fruit may increase the burning sensation in the sternum, which is typical of these conditions. This occurs, however, especially after eating a heavy meal that already weighs down the digestion.
How to eat an orange: whole or squeezed?
Oranges, especially the Tarocco variety, are renowned for making delicious, freshly squeezed juices. But how is it best to consume this fruit? Whole in segments or as a juice?
Preference, of course, also derives from personal habits and the occasion of consumption: at home, for example, it is not a problem to consume the whole orange in wedges, whilst if you are away from home, a practical solution is certainly a juice, but to enjoy the full benefits of vitamin C must be consumed within a very short space of time.
Vitamin C is particularly "delicate" and tends to be destroyed in contact with air and heat.
This is why the amount of vitamin C in orange juice that is not immediately consumed tends to be reduced by more than 40% compared with the whole fruit.
In short, if you don't have the opportunity to consume a juice within a few minutes, the best way to consume fresh fruit and especially oranges, is definitely fresh, whole and in segments after peeling, preferably in the morning or as an energising snack between meals.
The orange is also the perfect ingredient for many sweet and savoury dishes: discover 3moretti's recipes.
