Image copyright Muffet.
Orange is such a bright, happy color. It’s no wonder that orange foods are so good for our bodies. Orange foods contain beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A. Thankfully, orange foods are easy to find and easy to incorporate into a diet. There’s nothing quite like fresh orange juice in the morning or cool cantaloupe on a hot summer’s day.
- Orange – Whether you use fresh orange to juice jump start the morning or to fight off a cold, oranges are best known as a great source of vitamin c. Just one orange contains 116.2% of your daily vitamin C needs. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to fight free radicals and inflammation. Free radicals can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.
- Cantaloupe – Cantaloupe is delicious raw and is great in fruit salad or on its own. It contains folate, carotenoids, vitamin C, and potassium.
- Butternut Squash – This squash can be used in soups, pasta, bean, and rice dishes. It provides vitamin A, vitamin C and folate. Butternut squash also contains calcium, magnesium and potassium.
- Sweet Potato – Roasted or steamed these sweet potatoes are delicious. With the right seasoning it can taste like dessert. As with the other orange foods sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. They possess fiber, vitamin B, copper, manganese and iron.
- Carrot – Carrots can be eaten raw, in soups, steamed, in stir fry, and salads. They’re an easy addition as a snack. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (hence the name). They also boast high levels of vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin C, dietary fiber, and potassium.