#GoOrange – An Orange A Day For 10 Days This June

This June we plan to #GoOrange. We were kindly sent a box of freshly picked Aussie Oranges from Citrus Australia and have been challenged to enjoy an orange a day for 10 days and reap the nutritious rewards. You may already pour yourself a glass of OJ every morning from the fridge but it’s just not the same as eating a whole orange (peeled of course!). Eating the lovely fresh flesh as well as the juice provides a whole lot of healthy goodness. High in vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre and low in fat and salt, oranges are a nutritious addition to your child’s daily diet this winter.

Did you know oranges help:

1. Boost Iron Absorption.
Oranges are high in vitamin C.  An orange provides around 85 mg vitamin C, this is around two and half times the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for a toddler aged 1-3 years and almost double the RDI for an adult.  Including an orange with main meals allows the vitamin C to help boost iron absorption from other foods.

2.  Keep Bowels Healthy
Oranges are also high in fibre providing almost 4 g of dietary fibre per orange – another reason to enjoy eating the whole orange rather than just the juice.

3. Fight Sickness & Disease
Oranges contain valuable carotenoids and flavonoids which along with vitamin C act as antioxidants.  These are essential for promoting good health by keeping the immune system fighting fit protecting the body from sickness and disease.

4. Promote Normal Growth & Development
Folate is essential for children’s healthy growth and development.  A medium size orange provides 70 mg folate, that’s almost half the RDI for 1-3 year olds and a third of the RDI for 4-8 year olds.

 5. Keep You Satisfied
Oranges have a low glycaemic index (<55) helping to keep you feeling satisfied in between scheduled meals and snacks and prevent the urge to reach for unhealthy nibbles.

How to enjoy oranges this winter:

• Provide cut up slices of oranges as part of your child’s tasting plate.
• Add orange segments to winter salads.
• Top breakfast cereal or porridge with chopped up oranges.
• Give a banana smoothie a citrus-y boost by adding a peeled and chopped orange to the mix.