Soluble fiber can help lower LDL cholesterol, consequently reducing cardiovascular disease. This type of fiber can also help improve glucose control by slowing the absorption of sugar resulting in better blood sugar levels.

Insoluble fiber can help relieve constipation by helping food move more efficiently through digestive system and increases stool bulk. Citrus fruits are also abundant in multiple other nutrients, including potassium, folate, calcium, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, riboflavin and pantothenic acid, making consumption of citrus fruits as part of a balanced diet is essential to our health.

However, it is important to note that certain citrus fruits can interact with medications. Grapefruit, pomelo and orange fruits and fruit juices can be a problem when taking some prescription medications. Those fruits can affect how the medication works by affecting absorption, distribution and metabolism of certain medications.

If you are taking medications, please consult your healthcare provider before adding those fruits to your diet. Otherwise, grab a slice of citrus and let their powers set to work!

Citrus fruits go well in almost any meal. Enjoy the sweet and tangy freshness of citrus fruits in:. Need some inspiration? Here are two favorite recipes—one for Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon and one for Chunky Citrus Avocado Dip —from Suzy Karadsheh.

A nna Nekrich is a registered dietitian at the University of Washington Medical Center. O utside of work she enjoys ballet classes, outdoor activities, reading, baking and spending time with her friends, her husband, their two daughters and cat.

Toggle navigation. UW Home Directories Calendar Libraries Maps My UW Search the UW. Toggle navigation The Whole U. Multifarious applications aside, the ancients were clearly onto something. I would like to highlight some nutrients and phytochemicals that give those fruits their remedy qualities: Vitamin C Vitamin C ascorbic acid is one of the most popular vitamins in the world.

Flavonoids Flavonoids are plant-based nutrients phytonutrients responsible for the plant qualities such as its bright color and the familiar aroma. Dietary Fiber Dietary Fiber is a type of complex carbohydrate found in plant foods. Enjoy the sweet and tangy freshness of citrus fruits in: Salads Salad dressings download handout As a snack Add it to your yogurt or oatmeal Add a few slices to your fresh water download handout Need some inspiration?

AGRUMED: Archaeology and history of citrus fruit in the Mediterranean. Publications du Centre Jean Bérard; Scora RW.

On the history and origin of Citrus. Citrus fruits include lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit, and tons of other hybrid fruits. Keep reading to learn about why you should eat more citrus. Some citrus varieties that you may already be familiar with are;. Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C, a key nutrient that boosts immunity and is good for our skin.

One medium orange contains all the vitamin C you need per day. Citrus fruit also contains B vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper. An electrolyte is a fluid that contains free ions. They can come from dissolved salts or from acids that donate free positively charged hydrogen atoms — protons — to solution.

Because the ions can move around freely, they gravitate toward a source of opposite charge and away from a source of like charge.

You don't need much to make a battery out of a lemon or a lime. The electrolyte is already present in the fruit, so all you have to add is a pair of electrodes and some conducting wire to connect them.

The electrodes need to be made from dissimilar metals to create a potential difference between them. Zinc and copper are a good pair. In a citric acid solution such as exists inside a lemon, copper produces extra electrons.

They flow through the electrolyte to the zinc, where they build up. When you connect the electrodes with a wire, the charges travel through the wire back to the copper electrode, thus completing the circuit. A galvanized nail makes a great zinc electrode. Use a piece of gauge electrical wire or a penny for the copper electrode.

If you opt for a penny, make sure it was minted before Later pennies are made mostly from zinc. The stronger the acid in an electrolyte, the better the electrolyte will conduct electricity and the stronger your battery will be.

When it comes to citrus fruit, taste is a good indicator of acid strength, because strong acids taste more sour than weak ones. Lemons and limes are more sour than oranges and thus make better batteries, and because citric acid decays into fructose and other sugars as fruit ages, young fruit fresh off the tree is better than fruit left sitting on a shelf.