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Vitamin C: it’s not just from citrus anymore!

vitamin c

Good for bones, muscle, and blood vessels, it’s our friend L-ascorbic acid! An important antioxidant, vitamin C helps the body absorb iron and form collagen. It’s a key component in wellness…and as it can be naturally found in fruits and vegetables, it comes in some tasty packages!

How much vitamin C is enough?

The U.S. RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamin C is 90 milligrams for men, and 75 for women. It is possible to take too much vitamin C and get kidney stones or nausea, but this only comes from ingesting 2,000 milligrams or more a day. So, how do you get your daily dose of vitamin C? All kinds of ways!

One vitamin from many fruits.

The fruit that produces the greatest source of vitamin C is the kakadu plum, with 3,100 mg of vitamin C is one 100 gram serving! (Generally speaking, 1 medium-sized banana or plum is about 100 grams.) However, we’re looking for something a little less extreme than that. The most well-known sources of vitamin C are the citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, and limes contain 50, 40, and 30 milligrams of vitamin C, respectively. However, the kiwi fruit contains 90 milligrams – a full day’s dosage! Also ranking highly are the papaya (60 mg/100g), the strawberry (60mg/100g), and cantaloupe (40mg/100g).

Fruits with lower vitamin C content, but just as packed with nutrition, are the plum (10mg/100g), banana (9mg/100g), peach (7mg/100g), and apple (6mg/100g). Remember, in the world of nutrition, every little bit helps!

Vitamin C tips.

Here are some handy things to remember in order to get your daily dose of vitamin C:

  • Don’t try to get it all from one source. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables during the day will get you the amount you need.
  • Cooking can reduce the amount of vitamin C, but refrigeration doesn’t. So if you’ve cut up that fruit salad, you can have it the next day and you’ll get the same health benefits.
  • Mix it up! Have an apple on Wednesday; go bananas on Friday. Keeping variety in your diet is good for your health and imagination!

Vitamin C: proof that nutrition can taste great!

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Unpeeled: The Truth About Bananas

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North America’s favorite office fruit is actually…an herb? Yes, that’s right. A banana “tree” is actually classed as an herbaceous plant by botanists, making the banana the world’s largest herb. Here are some more facts about our friend, the banana, supplied by ORCHARD At The OFFICE, the Dallas/Fort Worth area’s largest office fresh fruit delivery service:

From the outside…

  • Bananas range in color, from the popular yellow banana (the sweetest of all) to the red bananas (with a slight raspberry flavor).
  • Plantains are a member of the banana family, but contain much more starch. They are not to be consumed raw, but are cooked into a number of West African and Caribbean dishes. They are longer, with a thicker skin, and are usually green.
  • The Japanese fiber banana has the shape of a coconut and doesn’t really resemble a banana at all. It’s inedible, but it is commercially grown to produce fabric. More proof of the versatility of the banana!

From the inside…

  • Bananas are radioactive! In all potassium that occurs naturally, you’ll find the isotope potassium-40. Since bananas are such a good source of potassium, it follows that there will be an element of this element in there.
  • One 100 gram banana provides more than 10% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of potassium, 15% the USRDA of vitamin C, and 10% the USRDA of dietary fiber. It is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
  • The bulky nature of bananas will give you a “full-stomach” feeling to take away the hunger pains of the day. Ideal snacking: healthy, satisfying, tasty – and you don’t need vending machine change!

A little sideways…

  • Cavendish bananas (the yellow bananas we’re most familiar with) originated in the Indo-China area. It is mutated from hundreds of other varieties.
  • United States immigrants were given bananas when they reached Ellis Island in New York. As many had never seen one before, they didn’t know they needed to peel them, and ate them whole!
  • The Siam Ruby banana is a decorative plant which produces nothing edible. It is grown for its beautiful red fruit and leaves and is very rare. Originally from the wild areas of New Guinea and commanded prices as high as $1,500!

For all its complexity, don’t forget the banana basics: peel, eat, enjoy!

To get bananas and other delectable produce delivered to your Dallas/Fort Worth office, contact ORCHARD At The OFFICE!

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Bananas: choice of offices everywhere!

banana

Brightly-colored, neatly-packaged, full of flavor and packed with goodness, it’s no surprise that for fruit snacking in the office, the banana’s on top. In smoothies, salads, or solo, bananas bring a healthy sweetness that keeps a workforce happy and healthy. Go bananas!

A natural boost of energy…

Bananas have three natural sugars: glucose, sucrose, and fructose. This, however, does not make them “fattening”. What it does mean is that they provide a long-lasting energy surge. And since the sugars digest slowly (with a glycemic index between 30 and 60, depending on how ripe the banana is), a person enjoying a banana won’t feel those peaks and troughs in their energy level.

A fruitful multi-vitamin…

Bananas are an integral source of potassium, which we need in our diet to counterbalance our sodium intake. One 100g banana provides about 12% of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of potassium in our diet. This means a decrease in heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Important stuff!

Additionally, bananas provide roughly three times as much vitamin C as apples, and are a great source of vitamin B6, promoting the health of your skin and hair, and minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese – all those things your body needs, but you’d never think about!

A regular “powerfood”…

Bananas are high in pectin, which is a soluble fiber. One banana contains three grams of fiber, in fact. Combined with its electrolytes, a diet which includes bananas can ensure proper bowel function and reduce risk of intestinal disease.

Bananas are “alkaline-forming”, which means they are a natural antacid. They work to stop heartburn and go a long way toward the prevention of painful stomach ulcers. If you’ve got a gut feeling it’s time to eat a banana, go with it!

If you celebrated too much the previous evening, a banana can help you with the hangover, which is the result of dehydration. The potassium and electrolytes of the banana can aid in one’s recovery. (This is not to suggest you won’t get a hangover if you only drink banana daiquiris, however!) So make note, weekend warriors: keep plenty of bananas on hand for Monday morning.

So go ahead: peel away! Your whole body will thank you.