In a time of transoceanic travels and rare medical advances, sailors used to fear scurvy, a disease that affected them the most. Today, we know that scurvy is no more than a deficiency of vitamin C in our body and that by simply eating an orange a day, it can be cured.

Our Bright Side team wanted to show you all the benefits eating an orange a day can offer your body so that you can stay healthy.

1. It aids with gut health.

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One orange provides around 70 milligrams of vitamin C. This vital nutrient has incredible benefits too, like improving iron absorption, fighting inflammation, and lowering blood pressure, and it also helps to form collagen in our bones.

Collagen is a protein that our bodies produce. It gives structural support to tissues and helps in important processes, like tissue repair and immune response. As we get older, our collagen production slows down and our elastin gets lost, resulting in aging and our skin looking saggy and dry.

It’s not possible to stop collagen loss altogether because it’s part of getting older, but we can try to slow the process, and eating an orange a day might make a difference.

4. It can be useful to maintain good eyesight.

, © TC-TORRES / Pixabay

The orange peel may have a bitter taste, but it has some benefits to it. This part of the orange has about 4 times more fiber than the pulp. It also has 3 times more vitamin C than the inner fruit, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and B9.

Despite being rich in nutrients, eating the peel might have some drawbacks, like the fact that it may contain pesticide residue and that it’s not easy to digest. Perhaps thoroughly washing the fruit and grating some of the peel over your meal might be enough to enjoy its nutritious benefits.

If you’re not sure about the daily intake of nutrients you’re getting, contact your doctor. Remember that everything in big quantities can be harmful.

Which benefit surprised you the most? Have you ever tried eating an orange peel? Would you try it? Please tell us in the comments.