Is blood orange more beneficial than other varieties? A Spanish nutritionist explains

Is blood orange more beneficial than other varieties? (Luis López, reader).

Hello Luis

In theory, the blood orange could be slightly more interesting from a nutritional standpoint, but in actual practice, there is not such a significant difference.

Indeed, if we look at the composition of a blood orange, we see how those pigments that characterize it with a more purplish color also provide it with an extra antioxidant capacity. This can give us a small bonus, but when compared in relative terms to consuming a regular orange, there isn't that much difference.

We will achieve much better results for our health by replacing any sweet dessert with a piece of fruit, regardless of the type, rather than by swapping our conventional citrus fruits for a blood orange.

Good morning. I would like you to recommend tasty but low calorie recipes (Anonymous).

I love that this question has come up because many times there is a belief that low-calorie or slightly more frugal recipes are not as tasty, and nothing could be further from the truth.

This myth persists because we often have in mind very specific types of dishes: those that are heavily focused on sauces, fried foods, breaded items, or overly palatable preparations that sometimes overwhelm our taste buds. However, this doesn't mean that we can't infuse our dishes with flavor using other cooking techniques. Here are some ideas to consider:

1) There are sauces with fewer calories. While most sauces tend to use a fatty base, we can reduce the amount of oil or use other lighter preparations such as natural yogurt, mustard, vinaigrettes, or even those based on vegetables. Try adding a pumpkin cream to any dish and you'll see what I mean.

2) Play with textures: it is important to ensure that the vegetables are crunchy by not overcooking them, or adding a “crunchy” touch to our dishes with seeds or nuts can provide the contrast we need.

3) Browning the ingredients allows flavors to develop. Low-calorie cooking is often associated with steaming, boiling, or using the microwave, but if we use a griddle, oven, or pressure cooker, we can achieve much more intensified flavors.

4) Use spices, they are undoubtedly some of the best allies we can have in the kitchen, not only to enhance the flavor of dishes but also to reduce the amount of salt, which is not as beneficial.