Clementine is a hybrid fruit of mandarin orange and sweet orange. This citrus fruit normally grows in spring and autumn.
Clementine has a sweet flavor. This nutrient-dense juicy fruit can be added with smoothies and fruit mixes.
But is it fully healthy? Is clementine good or bad for you? Let’s check the clementine benefits and harms.
Anti Cancer Activity of Clementine
Clementine is a rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C protects our skin from UV ray damage (which is a major reason behind skin cancer). Because of this vitamin, C-rich clementine helps to prevent skin cancer.
Moreover, according to studies, a high intake of vitamin C reduces the growth of breast cancer cells (1). That’s why people may also get protection against breast cancers after consumption of clementine fruit.
Skin Benefits of Clementine
Are clementines good for your skin? Yes, the high vitamin c in clementine plays an important role in skin health.
In fact, clementines are one of the best keto foods rich in vitamin C. The vitamin C provides the following health benefits like (2)
- Wrinkle reduction and prevention of premature aging
- Dark spot reduction
- Protection from sunburn and UV rays
- Toxin removal from skin
- Skin thickening and strengthen the barrier of the skin
- Maintaining skin hydration
Moreover, clementines contain a moderate amount of calcium. According to studies, calcium is able to skin wounds healing and aid in skin barrier formation (3).
That’s why you can add clementine to your list of fruits for glowing skin.
Rich Source of Potassium
Clementines are high in potassium and can help to prevent potassium deficiency on keto. The high potassium component may provide the following health benefits (4)
- Lowering high and normal blood pressure in individuals
- Reduction of cardiovascular disease mortality
- Prevention or slowing down the progression of renal disease
- Lowering urinary calcium excretion
- Management of hypercalciuria and kidney stones
- Decreasing the risk of osteoporosis
- Prevention of the development of diabetes
Healthy Gut Function
Clementine is a moderate source of dietary fiber. Regular consumption of clementine may help to improve stool bulks and prevent constipation on keto because of its fiber component.
Furthermore, daily intake of dietary fiber increases the power of absorption. Which is another healthy stomach benefit of clementine.
Moreover, clementine contains less fiber than other healthy fruits. As high fiber increases the risk of gas and bloating, clementine may reduce bloating and gas on keto.
Bone Health
Both Magnesium and calcium components of clementine provide benefits for bone health. Studies have shown that magnesium increases bone mineral density (5).
On the other hand, calcium strengthens the bone and prevents osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that promotes sudden bone fracture.
Is It Ok To Add Clementine To A Low Carb Diet?
Can you have clementines on keto? Clementine is high in carbs and sugar. It is not a wise idea to add a full-sized clementine with a low carb diet.
One single clementine weighs 74 grams and contains 8.88 grams of carbs. Moreover, it also contains 1.26 grams of dietary fiber.
After deduction of the dietary fiber, the net carbs of a single clementine becomes 7.62 grams which are still on the higher side.
So, if you are asking “are clementines keto”, the answer is controlled intake of clementine is keto. Both moderate-high carbs and net carbs of clementine make it to insert in the list of keto friendly fruits.
Can Diabetics Eat Clementine?
Clementine is a rich source of vitamin C and sugar. Both of these are well known for blood glucose spikes.
Moreover, clementine is not among the best high fiber and low carb foods, which is another disadvantage for diabetics. The combination of high fiber and low carb is essential for diabetes control (6, 7).
Also, clementines contain a little amount of magnesium which is another anti-diabetic nutrient. According to studies, magnesium intake has an inverse relationship with insulin resistance (8).
Clementine is not considered among the best diabetes friendly fruits because of these facts. That’s why it is a wise idea to avoid clementine if you are diabetic or prediabetic.
However, the rich-potassium nutrient of clementines may provide a little relief for diabetics.
Are Clementines Good For Weight Loss?
According to studies both high fiber and carb-restricted foods boost weight loss drive (9, 10). Also, protein and calcium rich foods can promote weight loss and have benefits of obesity control (11, 12).
However, the majority of these criteria are not fulfilled by clementine. That’s why clementines are not good for weight loss and are not among the best keto-friendly fruits for weight loss.
In fact, clementine can be good for weight gain and you can consume clementine juice for weight gain.
Is There Any Reason Which Makes Clementine Bad for You?
Yes, some nutrients of clementine provide adverse health effects after excess consumption. The details are given below:
Vitamin C overdose: Clementine is a great source of vitamin C. Surplus intake of vitamin C promotes several health disorders like (13)
- Headache & migraine
- Vomiting & nausea
- Kidney stones
- High blood pressure
High sugar: Clementine contains a high amount of sugar. Because of this, an excess intake of clementine may increase blood glucose levels which is not good for diabetics.
Moreover, uncontrolled consumption of sugar-rich clementines may cause diseases like
- Heart problem
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver
- Tooth decay
Vitamin C in Clementines vs Oranges
Our daily required intake of vitamin C is 65 to 90 mg. As oranges contain more vitamin C than clementines, consumption of 100 grams of oranges can fulfill the DV value.
It’s because the 100-gram serving size of oranges contains 59.1 mg of vitamin C (14). Whether the same serving size of clementine contains 48.8 mg, which is 10 mg less.
Clementine Nutrition Facts
Clementine contains both macronutrients and micronutrients. It is a good source of fiber, protein, vitamin C, folate, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
One 100 gram serving of clementine contains (15)
- Calories: 47
- Protein: 0.85 g
- Fat: 0.15 g
- Carbohydrate: 12 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Sugar: 9.18 g
How To Eat Clementine
To eat clementine peel it and consume it. But remember to remove the seeds before consumption. It can be stored in a freezer to increase its lifeline.
Well and good clementines contains deep orange color. However, green-colored clementines should be avoided.
Open container is the best option for clementine storage. Also, direct sunlight may cause harm to clementine.
Several dishes are prepared from clementine. The most common clementine dishes are:
- Clementine smoothie with almond nut
- Clementine, strawberry, and starfruit mix
- Raw clementine topped with minced garlic and black pepper
How Many Clementines Can I Eat A Day?
Clementines contain a few essential nutrients, especially in vitamin C. But it is not rich in important nutrients like fiber, protein, magnesium, etc.
Moreover, clementines are rich in carbs and sugar. That’s why you should limit your daily clementine consumption to get benefits without any side effects.
Considering the facts, we can say that the consumption of a single piece of clementine is ok for maintaining nutrient density. More than this can increase the sugar intake which is not good for your health.
Final Thoughts
Clementine is a sweet citric fruit normally found in spring and autumn. This hybrid fruit is nutrient-dense and promotes health benefits like cancer prevention, improvement of gut function, and bone health.
The moderately high in carbs formula makes clementine keto friendly. However, surplus eating of clementine on keto may cause some side effects.
The most common health disorder is keto high blood pressure. Also, uncontrolled clementine intake causes other health problems like heart problems, obesity, migraine, etc.
That’s why a normal intake of clementine is good for you, but excess intake is bad for you.
