Orange You Glad................. Food of the week

All right friends-
I have been sick with some nasty cold/flu for two weeks, and in case you didn’t know, I hate to be tied down. Today I woke up feeling better. Thank Heavens!!!! Now I will go back to the gym, and I’m excited about that for sure. It kind of makes me giggle ’cause I can’t believe I missed my workouts, but it’s true friends. Oh lord, I’m creating a fitness monster within.

Along with working out comes my nutrition. Two to three times a month, I will meet with Florence Quinn my nutritionist and she will be giving me tips and recipes, as well as a lot of support. I’m learning to fuel my body, not fuel my emotions. It’s so comforting and so rewarding to make these changes for myself.

Every week Florence will be sending me a “Food of the Week” which I will share, and also I will add it into a yummy recipe and share with you. The irony of this week’s food is that I had just left Whole Foods and I bought one perfect orange just because it looked so luscious. I never eat oranges, I never buy oranges and I hardly ever drink OJ. But blame the cold, I found myself loading it into my cart. Then, an hour later, I saw Florence’s email and was like “Wow!” The universe had a plan for me. (LOL) Vitamin C in a perfect package. Here is my orange :0)

Florence Says:

This week is “ORANGES” which I think are appropriate since you need to replenish your Vitamin C when you are sick, see below:

ORANGES +
lemons, grapefruits, kumquats, tangerines, and limes

TRY TO EAT: 1 serving daily

ORANGES CONTAIN:

Vitamin C
Fiber
Folate
Limonene
Potassium
Polyphenols
Pectin

QUICK RESUME:

Oranges have long been recognized as a potent source of vitamin C, however, their nutritional value goes much beyond. We are discovering that oranges have the power to support heart health and prevent cancer, stroke, diabetes, and a host of chronic ailments.

QUICK FACTS:

Vitamin C is rapidly excreted from the body. Adequate daily intake is critical for optimum health
Vitamin C is concentrated in the pulp, therefore it is best to eat your orange but if you drink its juice make sure it is freshly squeezed and contains pulp.
Rutin, a flavonoid found in citrus (and black currants), has an anti-inflammatory effect, possesses antiviral activity and helps protect capillaries from age-related breakdowns.
Pectin, a dietary fiber that is effective in helping to reduce cholesterol, is present in large amounts in the white lining of citrus fruits. An easy way to increase your pectin intake is to eat the white pith.
Pectin has been shown to lower glucose absorption and thus insulin production in people with type II diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar levels.
There are a lot of nutrients in the skin of the citrus, however unless you buy organic (which is optimal) you should wash and scrub citrus with warm water
Thank you Florence…

Oh, and by the way, the orange from Whole Foods was juicy, sticky and exceptionally amazing.

But my favorite orange is Bella my 18lb small-faced cat :0)

With sticky fingers ~