Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions with Healthy Citrus

 

Every January, about 50% of us make New Year’s resolutions…and of those, a high percentage are about eating healthier and getting shape. I know I’ve made my share of these over the years. As for this year, with COVID-19 going on? Yikes…no comment on the need, and the reasons for it!

The problem with resolutions like these is that we all start out with great intentions, but life has a habit of getting in the way. For change to really happen, we have to break habits and build new ones. This can be really hard because we’re so used to our old ways.

How to Make it Work  

So how can we make it work? According to experts, one method is to avoid focusing so much on those big, long-term outcomes. Instead, once you’ve got a goal in mind, try putting your effort into simpler daily tasks.

So, let’s say your New Year’s resolution is to turn your bad eating habits around and lose 30 pounds. That’s great, but lofty, and will take a while to achieve. You may get discouraged along the way because the “mountain” is hard to climb. To make your goal more manageable, aim for some simpler daily steps. One new habit you could try is to eat one more serving of fruit every day.

Fruit: A Weight Loss Helper

Did you know fruit may be able to help you lose weight, while also being really healthy for you? Of course, for those of us with a sweet tooth, it’s easy to see how fruit provides natural sweetness without all the issues of refined sugar.

But there’s more to it than that. Fruit is nutrient-dense, meaning it’s high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, while also being low in calories. Its high fiber and water content can help us feel full and assist in weight control. In fact, oranges and other citrus are especially good at this! They score high on something called the “satiety index” that rates how filling a food is compared to its caloric value.

If we may be so bold, it’s citrus season right now. Why not try making some easy and delicious habit change by eating more of this healthy, satiating fruit? We do have one piece of advice: stick to the whole fruit. Juice does not have the same benefits due to its lack of healthy fiber. We’re sharing some ideas and recipes below. Happy New Year!

Eat Healthy This New Year with Citrus: Here’s How

--Pair a tangerine with a hardboiled egg for a total power snack

--Broil a grapefruit with a bit of brown sugar and top with creamy Greek yogurt for a healthy dessert 

--Top your salad with orange or tangerine sections and almonds and increase its nutrition and flavor

--Dip orange or tangerine sections in a bit of melted dark chocolate for an easy and healthy dessert

--Serve a multi-citrus salad with supremed citrus of all kinds and a mint dressing

--Enjoy delicious fresh seafood served with citrus salsa   

--Top Greek yogurt with citrus sections, chopped pistachios and cardamon

--Enjoy these delicious and beautiful shrimp-grapefruit-avocado skewers 

--Delight in a healthy quinoa salad with chicken, and citrus 

--Serve fresh citrus fennel slaw on the side with your meal 

--Spread a whole grain cracker with low fat cheese and top with an orange section

Enjoy!

How Many Fruit Can You Recognize on This Citrus Trivia Quiz?

 

Sure, you love eating oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and other citrus…but do you know “who’s who” in the citrus world? Can you pick your favorite out of a “lime-up”? (Sorry.) “Orange” you wondering if you can guess? (Sorry again.) Try your hand at this "Who's Who of Citrus" and see how you score!

1. Here are some clues for Citrus Mystery #1:

• --All the trees of this variety in the world are genetically identical. (Talk about wonder twin powers.)
• --Every single fruit has another “baby” fruit inside it!
• --This is the most most popular “eating” orange in the world.

So....which fruit is this?

A.) The Valencia orange B.) The Kardashian orange C.) The navel orange

2. Now on to Citrus Mystery Guest #2. This fruit...

• --Has an extra appendage that sticks out
• --Is SO juicy that it's sometimes sold with a bib!
• --Is rarely, if ever, seen in Northern grocery stores

Who are we talking about here?

A.) The Honeybell B.) The tangerine C.) The Ugli fruit

3. Moving on to #3! This fruit is a fun one.

• --They contain super-high levels of antioxidants, so they’re extra good for you
• --But be careful! Their brightly colored juice can stain hands or clothing.
• --Some people say they taste like strawberries

Is this....

 A.) The blood orange B.) The kumquat C.) The ruby red grapefruit

4. How about #4? This one is a popular favorite.

• --They're named after a city in Morocco
• --Their name is also the name of a movie, a font, a type of software, and a Led Zeppelin song, among other things
• --Many "in the know" consider their juice more delicious than OJ, though it is harder to find

What fruit is this?

A.) The tangelo B) The tangerine C.) The Casablanca

5. Here's a popular citrus whose origin you might not know. Can you guess it?

• --They were first brought to Florida by a mysterious count who claimed to have grown up with Napoleon and sailed the high seas with pirates!

• --The juice is said to harmonize well with nutmeg
• --There is some slight evidence that they can be useful as a weight loss aid

 Which fruit came here with the count?

 A.) The grapefruit B.) The lemon C.) The lime

6. Next! Who's this famous fruit?

• --At certain points in history, they have been incredibly expensive!
• --People have been eating these since ancient Rome

• --A tree can live more than 100 years

 Which legendary fruit are we talking about?

A.) The navel orange B.) The lemon C.) The Temple orange

7. Here's one that might stump some of you. 

• --This fruit is always eaten with the peel on!
• --Its name comes from the Cantonese word for “golden”
• --It's sometimes eaten pickled

 What's this unusual citrus?

A.) The kumquat B.) The Honeybell C.) The limequat

8.  We're getting into some citrus trivia now. Who knows this one?

• --Tangerines are a subtype of this variety of fruit, as are many other kinds of small, juicy, easy-to-peel citrus
• --Named after the color of a certain kind of robe
• --Ever eaten canned oranges? They were probably this variety

This is a harder one...can you get it right?

A.) The Kimono orange  B.) The Page orange C.) The Mandarin orange

9. Some of you have probably never heard of this quirky citrus fruit.

• --It is almost never eaten out of hand
• --Instead, it's highly valued for its juice, used to flavor tea, perfume, and candy
• --This “orange” ripens yellow

 Got any ideas?

A.) The Bergamot orange B.) The Cara Cara orange C.) The Fuzzy Navel

10. This is a fruit you've probably eaten, but may not know much about.

• --They got their name from an owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team

• --They're a very delicious snacking fruit
• --They were once known as the “$10 a box orange” due to their reasonable price

Another tricky one.

A.) The Hamlin orange B.) The Mandarin orange C.) The Temple Orange

Answers:

1: C 2: A 3: A 4: B 5: A 6: B 7: A 8: C 9: A 10: C

Scoring: 

0-3 correct:  Hmm. Are you allergic to oranges? 

4-6 correct: Decent work...but we recommend some more citrus baskets. 

7-8 correct: Strong performance. You know your kumquats from your limequats.  

9-10 correct: Hey, do you work here? Great job!