A report entitled “The Health Benefits of Citrus Fruits,” released in 2003 by The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, reviewed 48 studies that showed a diet high in citrus fruit provides a statistically significant protective effect against some types of cancer, plus another 21 studies showing a non-significant trend towards protection.
A great deal of consumer literature attributes this to the large amount of vitamin C in citrus juices, however research shows that in some cases no protection is obtained from taking vitamin C itself, while there are considerable benefits from drinking fresh, organic orange juice.
In oranges, vitamin C is only one part of a complex matrix involving many phytochemicals such as flavanones, cyanidin-3-glucoside and carotenoids. There are over 170 different phytonutrients and more than 60 flavonoids in an orange, many have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and blood clot inhibiting properties.
But perhaps the most interesting and useful vegetable of them all is the humble carrot. Carrots have been cultivated for thousands of years, although the original carrot was almost certainly a purplish color, and not the yellow orange variety most of us know today.
Carrots are filled with Vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K; they also contain a substance called falcarinol which, according to some studies provides protection against forms of colon cancer. With a degree of built in sweetness, carrot juice is also pleasant to drink and combines well with other healthy juices from a carrot juicer, such as apple and tomato.
