WHAT IS INSIDE AN ORANGE — FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

DR. MATILDA A. EVANS' CLASS

What Is Inside an Orange?

An orange is made mostly of water. It also has natural sugar, vitamins, and other tiny things that help give it its taste, smell, color, and health benefits.

• Water: Water makes an orange juicy.
• Natural sugar: Sugar makes an orange taste sweet.
• Citric acid: This gives an orange its sour or tangy taste.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps your body stay healthy and heal.
• Fiber: Fiber helps your stomach digest food.
• Plant helpers: Oranges have special plant parts called antioxidants. They help protect the body's cells.
• Color makers: Tiny color chemicals help make oranges look orange.
• Orange oil: The peel has oil that gives oranges their strong citrus smell.
• Minerals: Oranges have small amounts of minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
• Growing parts: Oranges also have tiny parts that help the fruit grow and ripen.

In simple words, an orange is a juicy fruit made of water, sugar, vitamins, fiber, smells, colors, and minerals.

Healthy Orange Summary

To stay healthy, it is good to eat fruit every day. A whole orange is a smart choice because it gives your body vitamin C and fiber. One large orange counts as about one cup of fruit.

Orange juice can be healthy too, but it is best to drink 100% orange juice and not too much. Kids should usually choose whole oranges more often than juice because whole oranges have fiber and help you feel full.

A healthy goal is to eat one orange or another fruit as part of your daily fruit choices. If you drink orange juice, keep it to a small glass and drink water most of the time.