Limes

ucker up – you’re about to be kissed by a produce outcast! Welcome to part three in my series about misunderstood and maligned produce.

Limes are one of those afterthought items that we might remember to squeeze over our entrée at a Mexican or Thai restaurant, but otherwise don’t really think of as something that can contribute substantially to our diets. Obviously, eating a whole lime is unthinkable, considering how tart they are, but the juice and the skin have much to offer in terms of both flavor and nutrition.

Of course, as with all citrus fruit, limes are an excellent source of vitamin C. However, they also offer three unique phytonutrients: naringenin, hesperetin and eriodictyol. These antioxidants are in the flavanoid family and are believed to help protect against heart disease by protecting against free-radical oxidation of cholesterol (which forms plaque) and by lowering cholesterol levels. One medium lime has 20 calories and 32% of your daily value for vitamin C.

Tahitian and Key are the two main varieties of limes that we are most familiar with, both of which can be found at Gelson’s. Key limes are tiny, round, seedy and are most famously used to make Key lime pie. Their juice is very tart and bitter and is used in beverages; hence it’s other name, the Bartender’s lime. Tahitian limes are also called Persian limes and they are the oval limes that look like small green lemons that we just call “limes.” They tend to be seedless and less acidic and bitter than key limes. These limes are usually used in cooking as a marinade for poultry and seafood and as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings. In fact, limes can often be substituted for lemons in recipes and sometimes can do the job even better than a lemon, as their flavor is so much brighter and more distinctive than that of their yellow cousins.

When selecting limes, choose those that feel firm and heavy for their size. They should appear glossy and bright green, not yellow. Limes are perishable compared to other citrus fruit and should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for up to six weeks. Lime juice freezes splendidly, so you can always prolong their shelf-life by squeezing their juice into ice cube trays and freezing it for later use. Since limes are mostly used for their juice, a good juicer is the best tool you could use to prepare a lime, although since common limes have no seeds, you could also just use your hand to squeeze out the juice. A Microplane is the best tool to use when you’re zesting a lime (or any other citrus fruit) since its sharp blades shave off only the top layer of skin and not the bitter pith below. One lime will yield one to two tablespoons of juice and one teaspoon of zest. This month, try my recipe for Carrot and Tomato Salad with Lime Dressing.

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The nutrition recommendations found in our newsletters are general in nature and are not tailored to specific health problems. Talk to your physician or other qualified health care practitioner concerning particular health issues or before beginning any nutritional program.