What Are the 3 Best Orange Foods we Should Eat Regularly?

Orange foods contain beta carotene, also called previtamin A. Other nutrients in orange food are folate, potassium, calcium, thiamine, and vitamin C.

Our bodies convert beta carotene into vitamin A. Beta carotene is supporting good eye vision and eye health. Vitamin A ensures the health of our skin. Carrots contain a lot of beta carotene.

Vitamin C is much needed to build a healthy natural immune system and oranges contain loads of Vitamin C. With a pandemic going on, for me, it’s a reason to consider oranges the second one of the 3 best orange foods.

Pumpkins contain lots of fibres and are short on calories. They’re also considered to be comfort food to uplift our moods. 

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The 3 best orange foods

Orange food is very healthy because of the nutrients it contains. Vitamin A and C and loads of antioxidants. The 3 best and most delicious orange foods are carrots, oranges, and pumpkins. Although delicious is a subjective opinion, of course. 

9 Health benefits of orange food

• Enhances the health of the skin;
• Supports the immune system;
• Decrease the body’s cholesterol level;
• Strengthens teeth and bones;
• Prevention of strokes;
• Reduce the production of mucus from the nose;
• Prevent kidney stones from forming;
• Enhances digestion;
• Lowers the high blood pressure.

My personal preference

I love orange food, especially the 3 I mention here. Orange food is good and healthy food. It’s also very tasty. Not of any significance, but orange is also the national colour of my country of birth. Generally seen during soccer events and on the national holiday, Kings’ Day. This is the main reason why Tom hates the colour. He is a radical republican. 🙂

Thank goodness it doesn’t stop him from preparing a lot of orange food. In short, orange food strengthens, calms, and promotes appetite. Eating orange food strengthens your eyes. It protects your skin against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun and air pollution.

Orange fruits and vegetables

Related: Does Vitamin C boost your Immune System in a Successful Way?

Carrots are brilliant

My mother used to joke when I was a child when she urged me to eat carrots. I wear glasses from a young age on and she asked me if I ever saw a rabbit wearing glasses? No? That’s because they eat carrots all the time. So it’s good for you!

She didn’t need to pressure me a lot because I loved carrots back then as well. The advantage of carrots is that you can prepare them in so many ways. Cooked, as part of lunch or dinner. Raw, as a snack in between.

A favourite childhood meal was a layered casserole: first a layer of finely chopped cooked salmon, then a layer of carrots and peas, topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. Delicious!

I eat oranges, Tom does not

Monotonous food is not good. To eat every day the same food is bad for our health. This is why it’s smart to educate ourselves in the composition of what we eat. When we encounter minor health problems this is even more significant. It’s good to match your food choices with your condition.

For instance, Tom has a risk of gout attacks. This is why he avoids purine-rich food, such as oranges, despite the fact that he loves them. Purine-rich foods contribute to gout attacks. Usually, these attacks recur every 2 years.

When the purine is not removed sufficiently from the blood, it will grow as small crystals inside the joints. When these crystals are big enough they cause inflammation. These inflammations are painful and last for 2 to 3 weeks. During serious attacks, you get a fever. You can also hardly walk because the first joint that is attacked, is usually the big toe of the left foot.

Tom’s gout attacks disappeared after he vigorously started a purine-free diet. His last attack was over 10 years ago. Fortunately for him most of the orange food listed above is good and healthy food and low in purine.

Superfoods are marvellous

Pumpkins are said to be one of the superfoods. According to Wikipedia the word superfood is a marketing term. The word is used for food with an exceptionally high nutrient density, which is assumed to contribute to our health. 

You can read the caution in the words Wikipedia uses. That’s because the contribution of superfoods to our health is not yet scientifically proven. For instance, the Dutch Food Association thinks it is better to eat all kinds of different foods than to focus on superfoods.

Considering the caution noted above, in my opinion, it can’t hurt to give superfoods some extra attention. I think they’re good and healthy.

Why pumpkins are superfoods

A pumpkin mainly contains water, 92%, and carbohydrates, 6,5%. Pumpkins are very low on fat (0,1%) and protein (1%). So why is a pumpkin good and healthy food, even a superfood?

Superfoods are good and healthy food. Pumpkins are a superfood because they contain a substantial amount of provitamin A beta carotene – 20% or more of the daily required value – and of vitamin A – 53% of the daily value required. Vitamin A works in a tandem with vitamin D.

Vitamin A is essential for our immune system. When we suffer from a vitamin A deficiency our barriers against viruses and bacteria are broken down and pathogens can penetrate our health systems more easily. 

A vitamin A deficiency also reduces the functioning of the immune cells so that invading pathogens can reproduce more easily and cause serious damage.

Several factors may cause a vitamin A deficiency, such as:

• A vitamin A deficient diet;
• Liver diseases;
• Poor digestion of fat;
• Smoking;
• Alcohol;
• Gastric acid inhibitors;
• Cholesterol inhibitors;
• Laxatives.

More pumpkin benefits

The benefits of pumpkins as good and healthy food are numerous:

• Pumpkins make you feel fit, either from the ‘meat’ of the pumpkin or from its seeds;
• The potassium in pumpkins lowers blood pressure and ensures a good recovery after a workout;
• Because pumpkins contain lots of fibres and are short on calories they are perfect for weight control;
• Pumpkins make your skin supple and healthy;
• They also reinforce our immune system and eyesight;
• As a superfood, pumpkins are considered a mood booster.

Related: Best Seeds to Eat for your Daily Dose of Healthy Supplements

Some recipes with orange foods

Tom’s healthy pumpkin soup

The following recipe for pumpkin soup is one of Tom’s favourites, and mine.

Ingredients

• One big orange pumpkin;
• A variety of other vegetables, such as carrots, parsnip, celery, garlic (to your taste), zucchini, sweet potatoes;
• Herbs, fresh when possible, such as marjoram, tarragon, basil, turmeric, ginger (to your taste).

Preparation

• Clean and chop all the vegetables;
• Bring a large saucepan with plenty of water to the boil;
• Put all the chopped vegetables with the herbs in the boiling water;
• Let the vegetables and herbs boil until the vegetables are soft;
• Squash the vegetables with a blender, the soup is ready.

Hannie’s orange recipe: carrot pie

Yummy, one of the things I love the most to eat is carrot pie. As you might know from my other articles I don’t cook. However, this is a dish I can (and sometimes do) make myself. And I love good and healthy food, such as this carrot pie. We still haven’t found the puff pastry we want over here in Spain, so it’s been a while now.

Ingredients

• Olive oil (2 + 2 tablespoons);
• Garlic (5 cloves);
• Carrots (4 big ones);
• Potatoes (sweet or normal; one big one or 2 small ones);
• Mushrooms (100 grams);
• Bell pepper (red, green, and yellow; half of each);
• Nuts (cashew, walnut, almond, Brazil nuts; grind the nuts but not to pulp; use a total of 50 grams);
• Fennel (2 ‘leaves’);
• Oregano (to your taste; you might also mix or use one of the other green kitchen herbs such as tarragon, basil, parsley, marjoram; don’t mix them together with oregano though, because oregano’s taste is too prolific);
• Honey (one tablespoon);
• Puff pastry (you can make it yourself – which is a lot of work – or buy slices in a package).

Instructions

• Cut all ingredients in not too small pieces;
• Saute the garlic with some olive oil in the frying pan for a minute;
• Add all other ingredients;
• Let it simmer for at least half an hour;
• Oil a springform with a little bit of olive oil;
• Line the springform with puff pastry that you first lightly wet with a brush;
• Spoon the filling from the frying pan in the springform;
• Fold the pastry around the filling and cover the top with pastry;
• Bake the pie in a preheated oven for 45 minutes at 180 degrees C.

Enjoy your meal and stay healthy!

What’s your favourite orange meal? Tell us in the comment box below.