The benefits and harms of mandarin
Tangerines can be distinguished from the fruits of other types of citrus fruits by their somewhat flattened shape, small compared to oranges or grapefruit, in size and high sugar content in the juicy pulp, divided into 8-12 slices depending on the variety. Tangerines stand out for their bright orange peel, which in most ripe fruits is easily separated, and sometimes even lags behind the pulp.
China is considered the homeland of these sweet fruits, but since the 19th century, when tangerines were first brought to the Old World, tangerine gardens have appeared in the Mediterranean countries and in North Africa. Juicy citrus fruits are now well known to the populations of most countries in Asia and South America. And the most northern plantings of tangerine trees are located in the North Caucasus and Krasnodar Territory.
At the same time, there are many similarities between tangerines, for example, from Abkhazia and Japan, but there are also differences, for example, in the size and shades of aroma, the number of seeds and slices, the content of sugar and acids.
However, all tangerines are a storehouse of useful substances and a lot of pleasure for young and adult gourmets.
What are the benefits of tangerines, and is there any harm from eating orange fruit full of juice?
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What are tangerines good for?
- 88.5 grams of moisture;
- 0.8 grams of protein;
- 0.2 grams of fat;
- 7.5 grams of carbohydrates, represented by sucrose, fructose and glucose.
The remaining grams are acids, fiber, pectins and ash. What else are tangerines useful for?
In addition to the fact that orange sweet fruits are good thirst quenchers and are an excellent source of carbohydrates, tangerines are rich in macronutrients.
Among these substances is calcium, which not only ensures the strength of bones and teeth, but is also irreplaceable in the mechanism of muscle contraction, the functioning of the nervous system and is responsible for blood clotting. The potassium in the tangerine slices also provides nerve function and, to some extent, provides heart rate and oxygen to the brain. Mandarins are rich in elements such as magnesium and sodium, phosphorus, and a number of other equally demanded substances, which are valuable for the body.
Trace elements in the composition of the fruit are represented by iron, a substance indispensable for the synthesis of hemoglobin. What tangerines are useful for is the amount of a variety of vitamins. Such a set, which includes ascorbic acid, vitamin PP and beta-carotene, B1, B2, B6 and E, will be the envy of modern multivitamin complexes. The peel, seeds and, partly, the pulp contain flavonoids and phytoncides, essential oils and the glycoside tangeritin, named after one of the varieties of the cultivated mandarin.
Useful properties and rules for the use of tangerines
The greatest benefit comes from the use of fresh fruits, which themselves are an excellent dessert or aperitif, and can become raw materials for obtaining vitamin juice, included in all kinds of snacks and salads, and added to side dishes for pork and poultry. After thorough washing, the tangerine peel will give fresh citrus notes to baked goods and tea, rice dishes and sea fish.
The dietary and culinary value of fruits is undeniable, but how are tangerines useful as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent? Vitamins and other substances in the pulp make it possible to conclude about the effective use of tangerines for colds as a natural antipyretic, energizing and anti-inflammatory agent.
If the cold is accompanied by a harsh, obsessive cough, mandarin pulp or fresh juice will help:
- soften the throat;
- facilitate sputum discharge;
- disinfect the mucous membrane and relieve inflammation.
Tangerines are able to remove or prevent even asthmatic manifestations.
After getting rid of colds, bronchitis or more serious diseases, you should not give up tangerines, currants and other fruits and berries. Their sweet slices, no worse than expensive vitamin preparations, contribute to the restoration of the body, replenish it with trace elements and vitamins, take care of immunity and the fastest return of working capacity.
Gastrointestinal disorders associated with sluggish digestive processes, low acidity or dyspepsia are precisely those situations when tangerines are useful and can improve well-being.
In addition, citrus fruits stimulate appetite, have antiparasitic, antifungal, and disinfecting effects. Moreover, this property extends not only to the digestive organs. Compresses or lotions made from pulp or mandarin juice are effective for fungal infections.
Regular, but careful use of tangerine peel decoction helps diabetics to control their sugar levels and thereby improve their well-being.
Mandarins during pregnancy
The question of whether it is possible for pregnant women to eat tangerines has not lost its relevance for many decades. Skeptics emphasize the allegedly high risk of developing allergic reactions in the expectant mother and baby.
Today there is another opinion. According to him, more than in tangerines, the amount of allergens is found in chicken eggs, peanuts, and caviar of many fish species. At the same time, tangerines have a lot of useful properties that are very valuable for a woman's health and fetal development:
- Sweet fruits, especially in the off-season and winter time, have a pronounced anti-cold effect.
- When consumed in moderation, tangerines will protect against intestinal infections.
- The carbohydrates and acids in fruits, including ascorbic acid, provide fast energy replenishment.
- It is important that due to the high content of potassium, mandarin juice or a few slices eaten will relieve edema accompanying pregnancy.
- And the increased risk of caries and deterioration of bone quality levels out calcium and phosphorus.
- Even nervous tension and depression that occur during pregnancy, tangerines can relieve due to the presence of such an element as magnesium.
In this case, you should not forget about the danger of allergies. If a woman's consumption of tangerines caused health problems before pregnancy, fruits will have to be abandoned.
If there are no disturbing symptoms, a small amount of juice, one or a couple of tangerines is not harmful, but beneficial.
Who is harmful to healthy tangerines?
Contraindications to the use of tangerines in any form are diseases of the digestive system such as gastritis, accompanied by the production of excessive amounts of acid, stomach or duodenal ulcers, enteritis and colitis.
Both the benefits and harms of tangerines depend on the presence of extremely active biochemical compounds in their pulp.
Therefore, in this case, the abundance of its own acids in the fruit will only aggravate the condition. Exacerbation of the disease can also be expected for those who suffer from kidney disease, pancreatitis and cholecystitis. Due to the high concentration of sugars, diabetics need caution in the use of vitamin dainties. However, all of these caveats apply to excessive amounts of citrus fruits.In reasonable quantities, tangerines can be consumed by everyone except children under three years old.