Who is good for eating oranges and who is not? You know how to pick a good orange?

Wen / Cai Jun Chief Physician, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Oranges are full of treasures

Orange: It is a white tendon outside the orange. Chinese medicine believes that orange network has the effect of smoothing phlegm and invigorating blood. It is a good food therapy for patients with chronic diseases such as chronic bronchitis and coronary heart disease.

Orange peel: it has the effect of strengthening the spleen and appetizing, rationalizing qi and digesting food, drying and humidifying phlegm, and there are coughs and phlegm, bloating, diarrhea and loss of appetite, which can be dialectically relieved by using orange peel or tangerine peel.

Orange meat: contains a lot of vitamin C, has a cosmetic effect; at the same time, it is rich in citric acid and has the effect of eliminating fatigue; oranges are also rich in dietary fiber and pectin, which can promote bowel movements and reduce cholesterol levels.

There are tricks to picking oranges

Look at the skin color and size

The color of the orange's epidermis is a reference sign of its ripeness. You should pick a medium yellow or orange-red orange.

The outer skin color of most oranges is from green at first, slowly transitions to yellow, and finally appears orange-yellow or orange-red when fully ripe, so the more red the color, the higher the maturity usually, and the sweeter the taste. However, there are also a few varieties of exceptions, such as gong citrus, which is still blue-green in the skin after ripening, but the taste is very sweet.

Look at the smoothness of the epidermis

The orange has a fine layer of oil cell spots on it, and if it is a tangerine with moderate sweetness and sour, this layer of oil cells will make the skin look smooth.

Look at the orange navel

A closer look at the orange navel at the top of the long stalk of the orange can distinguish the "male and female" of the orange. The large and deep orange navel is the "female" orange, and the small and shallow orange navel is the "male" orange.

Measure elasticity

Pinch the orange with your hand and feel the elasticity of the flesh. Oranges with thin skin and thick flesh and a lot of moisture tend to feel strong but not hard, and have better elasticity.

Caution: Patients with diabetes, stomach ulcers, urinary stones, and cold cough should eat less oranges. In addition, orange juice contains a lot of sugar and organic acids, eating oranges on an empty stomach will irritate the gastric mucosa, so it is not recommended to eat oranges on an empty stomach.