In this article, we will explore the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that share a characteristic: their color. It is commonly known that the biological pigments that give similar-colored foods their health advantages, such as anti-inflammatory qualities, anti-aging characteristics, and even cancer prevention, are the same.
This article focuses on orange foods, including sweet potatoes, pumpkin, orange juice, and orange fruits, and discusses how they may assist your body obtain optimal nutrition.
What Causes Orange Foods?
Phytonutrients are the pigments that give meals their color. These biological molecules not only impart color to our food, but they also play a function in our nutrition. For orange meals, these phytonutrients are carotenoids, which are orange pigments.
Beta Carotene
The most well-known carotenoids are the carotenes, such as beta carotene. Carotenoids are present in carrots, as their name indicates, as well as in oranges, sweet potatoes, and other nutritious fruits and vegetables. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, an essential fat-soluble vitamin for eye and skin health.
Xanthophylls
Xanthophylls are the other common phytonutrients that give meals their yellow-orange hue. They are found in, among other foods, pumpkins, cantaloupe, and apricots. They contain anti-oxidant properties and protect the body from disease- and cancer-causing free radicals.
List of 32 Orange-Colored Foods
Annatto
You probably consume annatto every day without even realizing it. It is a food coloring derived from achiote seeds, which grow between Mexico and Brazil in the tropics. Generally, natural food colorings are considered to be healthier than their synthetic counterparts, as they include beneficial carotenoids and micronutrients.
By grinding the seeds, a powder or paste is formed that imparts a mild peppery flavor and an orange hue to meals. The intense hue is due to the high concentration of carotenoids in the red waxy covering of the seeds. Additionally, the color can be removed by boiling the seeds in water or butter.
Apricot
Apricots are tiny stone fruits that are rich in fiber and potassium. This orange fruit is smaller than its peach and nectarine relatives and has a taste all its own. Raw apricots are extensively farmed in California and are a decent source of vitamin A and C; however, the concentration of nutrients rises when apricots are dried. Turkey is the world’s top exporter of dried apricots.
Bell Pepper
Despite the fact that bell peppers are typically red, green, or yellow, orange cultivars are gaining popularity. Freshly consumed, these veggies have a pleasant flavor and are a perfect complement to salsa and salad dishes; they also include a significant quantity of vitamin C to boost the immune system.
Butternut Pumpkin
In places such as Australia and New Zealand, these nutritious veggies are known as butternut pumpkin or Gramma. This pumpkin relative is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Popular in vegetarian cuisine, butternut squash may be mashed and used to muffin and bread recipes. The flavor of roasted butternut squash is sweet without the addition of sugar.
Calendula
Calendula, sometimes known as marigold, has vivid yellow-orange blooms that have been used for millennia in traditional medicine. While many of its applications are as external therapies, such as lotions and ointments, the blossoms are edible and may be used as a low-cost substitute for saffron to color food. This plant has anti-inflammatory and therapeutic benefits due to its high beta carotene and micronutrient content.
Cantaloupe
This orange melon is popular with both children and adults due to its sweet, reviving flavor. In addition to being a rich source of vitamins A and C, it is also a strong source of folate. Cantaloupe, often known as rock melon, includes many minerals with antioxidant characteristics, including selenium, lutein, and choline.
Cape Gooseberry
This South American shrub, also known as goldenberry or Peruvian groundcherry, is a native of Peru and Colombia with a lantern-like papery husk. When ripe, the fruit has an orange-yellow hue and a sweet-sour flavor. These exotic fruits are frequently used to adorn desserts and pair well with chocolate confections.
Carrots
Carrots have traditionally been recognized to be rich in beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They are one of the most popular orange foods. Carrots are a staple ingredient in many raw and cooked meals and are believed to aid with weight loss.
Eating carrots helps reduce cholesterol levels and enhance eye health due to their high beta carotene content. The carrot root is the component most often associated with vegetables, but the stems and leaves can also be consumed. In fact, carrots were initially farmed for their leaves!
Carrots are also an excellent diet for bodybuilders due to their low calorie and high fiber content. This helps you feel full for longer durations between meals, which is essential during a phase of weight reduction.
Chanterelles fungi
Chanterelle mushrooms are a species of orange wild fungus that is edible. They have a fruity, peppery taste and, when cooked, produce a delicate texture that lends itself to pies and soups, as well as giving protein and a meaty flavor to your vegetarian dish. In contrast to commercial mushrooms, which are produced in the dark, these wild mushrooms are rich in vitamin D, which aids in the maintenance of the skeleton and digestive system.
Plum tomatoes
While cherry tomatoes are typically crimson in hue, the orange variety has even more immune-boosting antioxidants. According to a 2007 research, the health-promoting chemicals in orange tomatoes are more easily absorbed by the body than those in the garden type.
Clementines
Mandarin oranges and sweet oranges are hybridized to create clementines. With their easy-to-peel skin, vibrant color, and sweet flavor, they are a typical lunchbox favorite among children. Additionally, clementines include vitamin C and antioxidants. As with other oranges, the fruit or juice may interact with drugs, particularly cholesterol therapies; thus, you should discuss any dietary limitations with your doctor.
Crab roe Crab caviar
Crab roe Crab caviar, which is formed by combining crab eggs, or roe, with salt, is a delicacy rich in vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy eyes and skin. Consider using it with crab cakes or on toast.
Curry powder
Due to its constituent composition, curry powder is orange in hue. Made with ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and fresh or dried chilies, this cooking essential gives your dish a zesty Asian flavor.
The name “curry” originated from Southern India, where curry tree leaves are an essential component of curry powder. Curry spices have their own unique health advantages, and curry powder may be used to accent meat, fish, poultry, and vegetable meals.
Dalandan
Common across Asia, these little, often green-skinned oranges are sometimes known as sour oranges or bitter oranges. The orange-colored flesh on the interior has a tangy flavor. Oranges are frequently used to produce orange juice and traditional salty-spicy fruit salad.
Duck sauce
This condiment is sometimes referred to as orange sauce and has a sweet and sour flavor with a transparent orange tint. In Chinese restaurants, it is typically served as a dipping sauce for deep-fried meals such as wonton strips, spring rolls, egg rolls, duck, chicken, and fish. The sauce is a blend of beta-carotene-rich orange fruits, including plums, apricots, pineapples, and peaches, combined with sugar, vinegar, ginger, and jalapeño peppers.
Dutch Mimolette
This distinctive cheese is similar to Edam, but the addition of carrot juice gives it a vibrant orange hue and a delicious flavor. Many mimolette aficionados believe it is best eaten on its own, but it may also be shredded into salads or added into pasta dishes to offer a unique flavor.
Gấc
This Southeast Asian melon is named after its Vietnamese origins. It has a thick, spiky shell that opens when the fruit is mature and ready for consumption. Although it is linked to the strong-flavored durian fruit, Gc has a moderate flavor and gives traditional foods such as sticky rice a vibrant hue. Gc includes a high concentration of carotenoids per serving and is suggested as an eye health supplement.
Grapefruit
You may not aware that this morning staple was created by crossing pomelo and oranges in the 18th century. This citrus fruit possesses a taste that ranges from bittersweet to sour. Grapefruits are nutrient-dense, including antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and may have tremendous health advantages, such as promoting weight reduction and lowering the risk of heart disease.
Golden apple
This fruit comes from the plant Pouteria sapota, which is native to Mexico and Central America but is widely grown in the Caribbean. The fruit is technically a berry, with pink to dark orange flesh and brown, peach-like skin covered in sandpaper-like fuzz. The fruit is a well-known source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, vitamin E, dietary fiber, and beta carotene. It has a distinctive flavor that combines the sweetness of apricot with vegetable overtones reminiscent of carrots or sweet potato.
Nasturtium
Once exclusive to South and Central America, nasturtiums are now a widespread garden plant. The entire plant is delicious, but the orange blooms give a splash of color to salad preparations. The petals have the same amount of vitamin C as parsley, making them gram for gram the best source of this vitamin on our list.
The herb has been used to treat urinary tract infections and chest infections for centuries. This flower not only provides beauty to your yard, but it also serves as a natural insect repellent, keeping insects from attacking your other plants.
Oranges
Obviously, we couldn’t omit oranges from our list of orange meals! From Valencia to Navel, the diversity of these orange fruits allows us to select the optimal blend of sweetness, sourness, and hue.
Vitamin C is concentrated in orange juice, making it an even greater supply of vitamin C than the fruit itself, but the pulp is an excellent source of fiber for maintaining digestive health. Orange juice is frequently used to flavor beverages for children and even medications.
Papaya
Papaya, often known as pawpaw, is a common orange fruit found across Asia. Once exotic and uncommon, papaya is now accessible year-round in our stores. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer and aids with digestion.
In addition to their culinary value, these orange fruits are renowned in the majority of Asian nations for their skin-whitening properties. The beauty industry adds papaya extract to soaps and lotions intended to whiten the skin, and then markets these products.
Peaches
Peaches are a family favorite and a great method to urge youngsters to consume their daily vitamin C requirements! These orange fruits are available in clingstone and freestone varieties. This pertains to the degree to which the core of the fruit’s flesh adheres to the stone. Eating peaches can improve the overall look of your skin and repair sun damage. In addition, they assist enhance blood sugar, cholesterol, and insulin levels.
Persimmon
The sweet-tasting persimmon, also known as Sharon Fruit, is used in beverages, puddings, and jellies. There are two well-known varieties of persimmon: Hachiya types have a harsh flavor because to their high tannin content, but Fuyu kinds are sweeter and may be eaten somewhat unripe.
Pumpkin
The fall staple pumpkin is rich in carotenoids and vitamins. Pumpkin is one of the earliest cultivated crops and a crucial ingredient in both traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and Halloween Jack-o’-lanterns. This orange meal is rich in provitamin A and beta carotene.
Salmon roe
The orange-colored eggs of a female salmon are considered a healthful delicacy. They are one of the greatest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in the development of the nervous system. The consumption of salmon roe once a week significantly reduces the risk of developing heart disease, according to a study conducted in the United States.
Sweet Potatoes
The sweet potato is the earliest known vegetable and one of the first orange meals that come to memory. Potassium-rich and rich in vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are also a strong source of vitamin C. Due to their nutritional content, sweet potatoes are a staple in many regions of the world. There are several health advantages linked with eating sweet potatoes, including regulating blood pressure levels, enhancing insulin sensitivity and digestion, increasing the immune system, and decreasing the risk of cancer.
Tamarillo
Tamarillo are the egg-shaped fruits of the South American Solanaceae tree, sometimes known as the tree tomato. Although the skins are typically not consumed because to their bitter flavor, the meat can be sweet, sour, or nearly salty in flavor. This orange snack contains a significant amount of iron and vitamins.
Turmeric
Orange-colored turmeric is an ubiquitous ingredient in the cuisines of India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. It has a unique, somewhat bitter flavor and adds a vibrant orange hue to food.
Not only is turmeric utilized for culinary purposes, but also for traditional medicine and skin care. It has been utilized in India for centuries as a cure for respiratory troubles, and current research has shown that it can aid in the battle against cancer and alleviate despair.
Uglifruit
This citrus fruit, also known as the Jamaican Tangelo, is a natural hybrid of tangerine and pomelo; its name, tangelo, is a portmanteau of the names of its parents. The flavor is typically more acidic than tangerine, but lacks the grapefruit’s sharp bite.
Uni
Japanese The orange organ of sea urchins is known as uni. Although some people refer to it as sea urchin roe, uni is really the urchin’s reproductive organ, not its eggs. This orange dish is claimed to have sexual qualities and a robust ocean flavor. Uni is traditionally served on sushi, but fusion cuisine has brought it to rice and pasta dishes.
Orange-fleshed watermelon
Orange-fleshed watermelon is more difficult to locate than red-fleshed watermelon, but it is well worth the effort because it is often crisper and sweeter. Each individual fruit can weigh up to 30 pounds and might be round or oval in form. They are available in both seeded and seedless types.