Sugar oranges, rock sugar oranges, Nanfeng honey oranges... In winter, these small, sweet oranges are very popular. A family of three can buy three to five jin and finish them in a day.
Fu Jinru, honorary director of the Tianjin Nutrition Society, said that, overall, it is better to eat some citrus fruits in winter. Because they are rich in vitamin C, they can help mobilize the human immune system and prevent colds. However, don't eat too many small oranges; three to five a day are enough to meet the body's daily vitamin needs. Moreover, unlike oranges and pomelos, oranges are considered "warm" and "heaty" in nature. Eating too many can easily lead to "internal heat," causing symptoms such as mouth sores, a sore throat, and constipation.
In addition, Chen Dong, an associate researcher and fruit tree expert at the Horticultural Institute of the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that small oranges are mostly produced in Guangdong, Fujian and other regions. They usually have a higher sugar content than larger citrus fruits, which is why they taste sweeter. Therefore, people who want to control their weight should eat less, and those with diabetes should avoid them.
It should be noted that it is best to eat oranges along with the orange pith, especially for these small oranges, as the pith is finer and has a milder bitterness. In traditional medicine, the white, net-like pith inside the orange peel is considered an herbal medicine. It has the effects of clearing the throat, soothing qi, resolving phlegm, and clearing internal heat, which can alleviate the symptoms of "internal heat" caused by eating oranges.