Nutritional Value Of Lime Juice

Using lime juice to flavor food adds a fresh, zesty taste, and also plenty of nutrients. Limes are small, oval citrus fruits that are normally dark green, but may take on a yellowish tinge if left to ripen on the tree. Historically limes were taken on long ship journeys to help prevent scurvy, a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency. Lime juice is now often used in Asian and Latin American cuisines, and as a mixer in cocktails.

Basic Nutrition

One fluid oz. of lime juice, approximately 31g, contains 8 calories and about 28g of water. There are 2.6 g of carbohydrates in 1 oz. of lime juice, and less than 1g of fat, fiber and protein. Lime juice is cholesterol-free and contains only 1mg of sodium per oz.

Micronutrients

Lime juice is high in vitamin C, containing 9.2mg per oz, which gives you about 15 percent of the daily recommended intake. Other nutrients in lime juice include magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, E and K, phosphorus, folate, potassium, pantothenic acid, niacin, choline and betaine.

Phytochemicals

Lime juice contains flavonol glycosides, a group of flavonoid phytochemicals with anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties. Another phytochemical component of limes are the limonoids, specifically limonin glucoside. Limonin glucoside can help protect the body against cancer and, unlike many other phytochemicals, stays in the body for up to 24 hours after ingestion. Nonfluorescent chlorophyll catabolites, or NCCs, are another type of antioxidant in limes.

Health Benefits

Lime juice has antimicrobial activity and can destroy a wide range of organisms. In a 1997 study performed in West Africa and published in the "Journal of Food Protection," lime juice added to one meal each day helped protect people from contracting cholera, a deadly bacterial disease that causes watery diarrhea and abdominal cramping. The vitamin C in lime juice boosts immune function and acts as one of the most powerful dietary antioxidants, destroying free radicals before they can wreak havoc within the body. The citric acid in lime juice can help prevent the development of kidney stones.

Considerations

Exposure to oxygen can destroy vitamin C, so the nutritional content of lime juice is best when the juice has been freshly squeezed. Reconstituted or packaged lime juice can lose vitamin C rapidly, but storing the juice in cool conditions, such as in a refrigerator, slows the loss. The lime peel also contains nutrients and phytochemicals, such as pectin, that can benefit health. Lime peel can be grated and used in cooked dishes or as an edible garnish.