Last week, nighttime temperatures dropped into the low 30s in our area of northern California. It is rare to have freezing temperatures here, so when the outside temperature nears 32º F, residents of this area do their best to keep their freeze-sensitive plants warm. A good example of such plants would be citrus, including limes. I love the tangy flavor of limes. One of our neighbors has several citrus plants, including limes, so I was thrilled when our very generous neighbor came over with a basket filled with limes for us. Here is a picture of some of them:
Limes are famous for their green color, which actually changes to a more yellow color as they ripen. Limes have that fabulous tangy flavor when they are still green, which tends to mellow somewhat as they ripen. Our neighbor harvested these limes when they had not fully ripened to keep them from being harmed by the cold weather.
Limes are well known for their vitamin C content, as are lemons and oranges and other members of the citrus family. I was surprised to see the calcium and iron content of limes, which per calorie, is notable.
Here are some of the nutrition highlights of limes:
| 3 peeled limes | |
| Calories | 60 |
| Vitamin C | 58.5 mg |
| Calcium | 66 mg |
| Iron | 1.21 mg |
For comparison purposes, here are some of the nutrition highlights of lemons:
| 3 peeled lemons | |
| Calories | 50 |
| Vitamin C | 92.2 mg |
| Calcium | 45 mg |
| Iron | 1.04 mg |
Per calorie, lemons have more vitamin C, limes have more calcium, and both have a similar amount of iron.
Here is a photo of an almost-ripe lime (left) and lemon (right) placed on a dark red background for contrast:
Best of health!
Dr. Karin Dina, D.C.