What is lime?
The lime is the fruit of Citrus aurantifolia, a species that grows well in tropical and subtropical areas of the planet.
What are the nutritional properties of lime?
A medium sized lime provides about 20 calories and:
- 7.06 g carbohydrates
- 0.47 g of protein
- 0.13 g of lipids, of which: 0.015 g of saturated fat, 0.037 g of polyunsaturated fat, and 0,013 grams of monounsaturated fat
- 1.9 g of fibers
- vitamin C (about 32% of requirements in a 2,000 calorie diet)
- vitamin A (about 1% of the needs in a 2,000 calorie diet)
- calcium (about 2% of the requirements for a 2,000 calorie diet)
- iron (approximately 2% of the requirements for a 2,000 calorie diet)
The lime is also a source of:
- B vitamins
- Vitamin E
- potassium
- phosphorus
- magnesium
- citric acid
- limonoids
When to not eat lime?
Limes could interfere with drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and those that increase the skin's sensitivity to light.
Seasonality of lime
Limes are available on the market throughout the year.
Possible benefits and drawbacks of lime
Lime is a source of phytonutrients providing antioxidant and antibiotic properties. Its Limonoids were associated with the ability to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. In particular, the limonene -present in citrus fruits in quantities comparable to those of vitamin C- is linked to a glucose molecule and can be easily digested by the body, and it seems to help the levels of LDL cholesterol. It also seems that the lime can protect against inflammatory polyarthritis.
Applied directly to the skin, lime oil can dramatically increase sensitivity to the sun. There are also concerns that lime contain oxalates, molecules that can promote the formation of stones.
