Tangerines, sugar oranges, Nanfeng honey oranges... In winter, these small, sweet little oranges are very popular. A family of three can buy a few jin (a unit of weight) 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; 3 to 5 a day is enough to meet the body's daily vitamin needs. Moreover, unlike oranges and pomelos, small oranges are considered "warm" and "heaty" in nature. Eating too many can easily lead to "internal heat," causing symptoms like canker sores, a sore throat, and constipation.
Candied kumquats
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, so they taste sweeter. Therefore, people who want to control their weight should eat less, and people with diabetes should definitely avoid them.
It is worth noting that it is best to eat oranges along with the orange pith, especially for these small oranges, as the pith is relatively tender and has a milder bitterness. In traditional medicine, the white, web-like pith inside the orange peel is considered an herbal medicine. It has the effects of soothing the throat, regulating qi, resolving phlegm, and clearing internal heat, which can help alleviate the "heaty" symptoms caused by eating oranges.
candied kumquat