Are there any taboos for eating tangerines in autumn?

Introduction: In autumn, it's the season for oranges to hit the market, and they are quite affordable now. Therefore, we often see many people carrying bags of all sizes filled with oranges. Oranges, with their sweet and sour taste and rich vitamin C content, are widely beloved. However, despite their benefits, there are many precautions to take when eating them! Let's learn about the taboos of eating oranges!

Oranges in autumn: sweet and sour

One orange can almost meet the human body's daily requirement of vitamin C. Moreover, oranges contain more than 170 plant compounds and over 60 flavonoid compounds, most of which are natural antioxidants. The rich nutrients in oranges have effects such as lowering blood lipids and preventing atherosclerosis, which are greatly beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Orange juice contains a substance called "nomilin," which has the ability to inhibit and kill cancer cells and has a preventive effect on stomach cancer.

Oranges are sweet and sour in taste, and warm in nature, entering the lung meridian. They are mainly used to treat symptoms such as chest and diaphragm stagnation, nausea and vomiting, poor appetite, insufficient stomach yin, dry mouth, lung heat cough, and excessive drinking. They have the effects of stimulating appetite, quenching thirst, and moistening the lungs. However, improper consumption can be counterproductive.

Things to note when eating oranges:

1. Don't eat too many oranges

It is measured that eating three oranges a day can meet a person's daily vitamin C requirement.

If consumed in excess, the excessive intake of vitamin C will increase oxalic acid in the body, which can easily lead to urinary stones and kidney stones. Additionally, eating too many is harmful to the mouth and teeth.

Eating too many oranges is also harmful to children's oral cavity, teeth, and gastric mucosa.

If a child eats too many oranges, the heat produced cannot be converted into fat for storage in the body, nor can it be consumed in time. This accumulation can lead to "internal heat," manifesting as stomatitis, periodontitis, pharyngitis, and constipation.

>2. Be cautious if you have poor gastrointestinal function

For those with poor gastrointestinal function, eating too many oranges can easily lead to the problem of bezoars in the stomach. Excessive consumption of citrus fruits can cause "orange disease," with symptoms such as yellowing of the skin.

>3. Oranges and milk should not be eaten together

The protein in milk is prone to react with the citric acid and vitamin C in oranges, coagulating into clumps. This not only affects digestion and absorption but can also cause symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. You should eat oranges one hour after drinking milk.

Furthermore, people with deficiency and coldness in the gastrointestinal, kidney, or lung functions should not eat too many to avoid inducing symptoms such as abdominal pain and soreness in the lower back and knees.

>4. Not suitable to be eaten with radishes

After radishes enter the human body, they quickly produce a substance called sulfates, which are quickly metabolized into an anti-thyroid substance—thiocyanate.

If oranges are eaten at this time, the flavonoids in the oranges will be broken down in the intestines and converted into salicylic acid and ferulic acid. These substances can enhance the inhibitory effect of thiocyanate on the thyroid, thus inducing or causing goiter.

>5. Avoid eating oranges while taking medication

Oranges are rich in citric acid and vitamin C. They should be avoided when taking vitamin K, sulfonamides, spironolactone, triamterene, and potassium supplements.

>6. Avoid using fresh orange peel to make tea

Most oranges are soaked in preservatives before being put on the market. Preservatives are a type of chemical agent. While the soaked preservatives do not affect the pulp, the residues on the orange peel are difficult to wash off with plain water. Using such orange peel to make tea is harmful to health.

Health Link: The effects of different parts of the orange

Orange peel is a key medicine for regulating qi, removing dryness, promoting diuresis, resolving phlegm, stopping cough, strengthening the spleen, and harmonizing the stomach; The orange peel scraped of its white inner layer is called "chen pi" (dried tangerine peel), which has the effect of regulating lung qi, eliminating phlegm, and stopping cough; The orange pith on the pulp has the effect of unblocking the meridians and resolving phlegm accumulation; Orange seeds can treat symptoms such as lower back pain and hernia pain; Orange leaves have the effect of soothing the liver; Orange pulp has the effect of stimulating appetite, regulating qi, stopping cough, and moistening the lungs.