Being Asians, it’s not possible to go more than a few days without limes, for they are relevant in our daily lives. They flavour food, are squeezed into tea, and even find their way into our beauty regime! This zesty fruit is so small in size, cheap, readily available, yet gives us so much. For a fruit that is often taken for granted, let’s put it on the spotlight this month and see why it deserves a much better recognition.
There are many different types of limes around the world, but in Malaysia, the most popular ones we use are key limes (limau nipis), kalamansi (limau kasturi), and kaffir lime (limau purut). They add a zing to our gravies and dishes, add zest to our beverages, and are squirted routinely onto our mamak mee, curry mee, maggie mee, etc, for that added ‘oomph’.
Versatile, cheap and refreshing, here are some interesting facts about limes.
- Consuming one small lime (skin and all) will help provide about 20% of your vitamin C intake for the day
- Limes can be an be an added source of calcium, magnesium and iron to your diet
- Drinking lime water daily is said to help promote healthy cell growth and improve the function of your immune system.
- The vitamin C in limes can help to boost iron absorption to help increase hemoglobin and alleviate the symptoms of anemia.
- Consuming limes can help protect the body from Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers
- Lime juice contains citric acid, and when used directly on the skin, can help to initiate skin peeling and regrowth
- The citric acid in limes can help combat arthritis by dissolving uric acid, thus reducing joint swelling.
- Adding lime juice to food and sauces will help kill off the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera.
