Related to the tangerine, clementines were brought to Florida and California from North Africa in the early 1900s. This thin-skinned citrus fruit can be peeled and eaten out of hand or added to fruit and gelatin salads. While water comprises most of the weight of a clementine – more than 85 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database – and helps maintain your hydration levels, the fruit also supplies your diet with vitamin C in addition to minor amounts of macronutrients, B vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrate
A clementine weighing about 2.5 oz. provides you with nearly 9 g of carbohydrate, mostly as sucrose, fructose and glucose, which accounts for the bulk of its 35 calories. Your body uses these sugars as an easily accessible source of energy to power your activities and fuel your basal physiological maintenance processes. A fruit of this size also offers just over a gram of fiber to your diet, which, although a small amount, adds to your total dietary fiber intake and helps keep your digestive system working properly.
Protein and Fat
A 2.5-oz. clementine is quite low in both protein and fat, providing 0.63 g and 0.11 g, respectively. This fruit, therefore, is not a good source of either essential amino acids or essential fatty acids, both of which are required for good health. However, the low fat content of clementines can help you reduce your intake of excess fats when you include the fruit as part of a well-balanced, calorie-restricted diet for weight loss.
Vitamins
As with other citrus fruits, clementines are rich in vitamin C. A single 2.5-oz. fruit contains 36 mg of this vitamin, supplying 40 percent of your daily requirement if you are a man, and 48 percent if you are a woman. A clementine of this size contributes minor amounts of several B vitamins, with 5 percent or less of your recommended daily intake for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, panthothenic acid, vitamin B6 and folate.
Minerals
The mineral content of clementines is low. Potassium, the most abundant of these nutrients, supplies less than 3 percent of your daily need in a 2.5-oz. fruit. Clementines also contribute very small amounts of phosphorus, calcium and iron. One advantage of the fruit’s low mineral content, however, is that it contains almost no sodium, making it a welcome addition to your nutrition plan if you are trying to moderate your sodium intake as part of a healthy diet.
References
- University of California Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; The History of Clementines; Robert Willard Hodgson
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- University of Illinois McKinley Health Center; Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat; March 2008
- University of Illinois McKinley Health Center; Vitamins and Minerals; March 2008
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Best Foods for Specific Vitamins; November 2006
Member Comments