Oranges:
Oranges and lemons are both citrus fruits. But while lemons are very sour and not really consumed as a fruit, oranges can be sweet to taste and are eaten as fruits.
Oranges and lemons both are rich sources of vitamin C and citric acid.
Orange juice is very popular as a breakfast beverage. Given its orange colour, naturally makes it a good source of carotene and beta-carotene, and vitamin A. Both, lemons and oranges belong to the protective food group as they help build up the body’s immune system.
The vitamin C present in these citrus fruits helps in the absorption of calcium and iron in the body. Oranges have high levels of beta-carotene which have anti-oxidant properties, and thus help in protecting our body cells from damage.
Indian oranges sometimes have green coloured peels, but the fruit is sweet to taste.
Orange peel and orange extract are also ingredients of skincare products such as face peels, face masks and face washes. Take a segment of freshly peeled orange and rub on the face. Leave to dry for about 15 minutes and then wash off. Your skin will look and feel fresh.
Oranges can be consumed as fruits, juice, jams, jellies, orange pie, orange souffles etc. To get maximum benefits, consume the orange uncooked as it will give you all the nutrients intact. Cooking often destroys the nutrients such as ascorbic acid and vitamin C.
Lemons:
Lemon is an easily available citrus fruit, inexpensive most of the times, but in summer its price may escalate; it is popular for its culinary and medicinal uses.
It is very high in natural vitamin C and citric acid. Though it is a fruit, lemons are very sour and not really eaten as they are but the juice of lemons is used to prepare a variety of food and beverage recipes such as lemon rice, lemon chicken, lemon pickle, lemon tea, lemonade, lemon meringue pie and many others. Also at Cocktail Bars they are widely used. A slice or lemon garnishes many a cocktail glass.
In addition to lemon juice being a part of many recipes, it is also used as a garnish or to add flavour to the food . In India, when one is served food in a traditional way, a slice of lemon is part of the meal, along with salt, pickle, and chutney. Dahl and rice taste excellent when a few drops of lemon juice are added to the mixture just before eating it.
Lemons are a rich source of vitamin C but Vitamin C is destroyed when heated, thus if you want to get the most of the Vitamin C present in a lemon, it is best to have it fresh and uncooked as in the form of adding lemon juice to water or fresh lemon juice added as a garnishing to foods. In addition to Vitamin C, lemons are a good source of Vitamin B6, Iron and Potassium, and an excellent source of Dietary Fibre. They are very low in Cholesterol, Saturated Fat and Sodium.
Lemons also have a number of health benefits:
Weight loss: take a glass of lukewarm water; add a tablespoonful of fresh lemon juice. Drink early in the morning before eating anything else. This can help with losing weight. You can add a dash of honey to the mixture if you wish.
Lemon water helps cure throat infections and common colds as it has high vitamin C content.
Lemon juice is also effective in treating bleeding gums.
Diluted lemon juice when applied on the skin may help hydrated skin from the sun for example
Lemon juice has stringent properties and is an ingredient of many face packs, skin treatments and face washes. Lemon is harsher on the skin compared to oranges, so never ever apply undiluted lemon juice to your face.
If you suffer from dandruff, cut up one lemon and squeeze the juice. Apply this juice to your scalp and leave for 20 minutes and then shampoo or rinse off. You can mix the lemon juice with some hair oil if you wish.
To decide whether a lemon is of good quality or not, good-quality lemons will be firm, smooth-skinned and heavy for their size, medium to large sized lemons are generally better and have more juice.
Avoid buying lemons that are soft, spongy, wrinkled or have bumpy, rough or hard skin. Coarse, thick-skinned and light lemons will have less juice.
