Eating An Orange- ALL Of It!

I may be an anomaly, but I like eating an orange after a workout… the whole thing!  Including the peel.  I like the flavor and texture and not peeling it (but definitely giving it a good wash, first) makes it easier and less messy to eat on the go, not unlike eating an apple.  OK, maybe it's a bit more juicy…

There are health benefits to eating the peel and the pith (the white bit): it's quite high in phytonutrients, namely a flavanone in oranges, the herperidin molecule, which has been singled out in phytonutrient research on oranges.

Considered the most important flavanone in oranges, herperidin lowers high blood pressure as well as cholesterol in animal studies, and to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Importantly, most of this phytonutrient is found in the peel and inner white pulp of the orange, rather than in its liquid orange center, so this beneficial compound is too often removed by the processing of oranges into juice.

(Aside from that, drinking orange juice by itself is a recipe for a blood sugar crash as it's VERY high on the glycemic index scale.)

So, after your next run, grab an orange as part of your recovery protocol and eat the whole thing!