Have you ever thought whats the first thing you’d like to eat in a day. Wellness experts give us a whole range of things that we can eat, while some harp on jeera water, others say turmeric water, still others say lemon squeezed in warm water while others say consume it with a dashful of honey. No matter what there is always a chime or two on what first to fill into the golden time of the empty stomach. I have always loved the feel of an orange early in the morning, the treat to the empty stomach, but then orange is my favourite fruit of all time and colour too, but thats for another post!
Eating an orange as the first thing in the day puts me in such a happy place, that the moment seems to be won already. And the second best option that seem close in composition though not exactly the same is a lemon squeezed into water. Yet citrus in not just taste but also smell is such a wonderful way to start the day, if you’ve whiffed at the sweet oil essential oil, you’d know what I mean. The orange tree is native to Southern China, Northeast India, and Myanmar and while the mandarin is hard to peel and consume in wedges, the Nagpur Oranges of India are literally the best! I first spotted an orange tree in Portugal at the Pena Palace on the outskirts of Lisbon, and it was such a delight. The scent is disarming and charming.
And then come the plethora of preserved options as marmalades, as compotes and sugary drinks, but the best of all is the fresh orange juice. Though I naturally gravitate to oranges, now out of curiosity I looked up on what oranges contain other than Vitamin C, on further exploration I found that oranges contain fiber, sugar, carbohydrates and protein. And the new buzz word these days is collagen, with requires Vitamin C to be produced. While the doctor has recommended Vitamin C serum to be applied on the face, I’d love to have this fruit of nature essentially in my being. If you are what you eat, then I am an orange olright!
Vedasri Siddamsetty 