Amla vs Orange: nutrition per 100 g

Per 100 g, amla (Indian gooseberry, recorded in IFCT 2017 as goosberry) has 252.0 mg of vitamin C, covering 315 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 388 per cent of a woman's. Orange pulp has 42.7 mg, covering 53 and 66 per cent, which is still a good amount. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from plant foods, supports normal immune function and is needed to make collagen for skin and gums. Even a single small amla goes a long way, which is why it is such a useful addition to a dal-and-roti diet.

Amla has 7.8 g of fibre per 100 g, six times the 1.3 g in orange pulp, ranking 4th of 43 fruits. It has half the sugar, 3.4 g against 6.9 g, and less carbohydrate, 4.4 g against 7.9 g. This data set carries no energy figure for amla; orange pulp has 37 kcal per 100 g, and both are light fruits. That is why amla tastes sharply sour and astringent while orange tastes sweet. Orange juice, unlike the whole segments, loses most of the little fibre orange has, so eating the fruit beats drinking it.

Orange has more folate, 19 micrograms per 100 g against 8, more thiamine, 0.07 mg against 0.01 mg, and more beta-carotene, 32 micrograms against 2. It also has more magnesium, 11 mg against 6 mg. Amla has more vitamin B6, 0.27 mg against 0.04 mg, about 6.8 times as much, more iron, 1.25 mg against 0.81 mg, more potassium, 223 mg against 164 mg, and more copper and vitamin E. Calcium is the same in both at 20 mg. Neither fruit is a significant protein source.

Amla is eaten raw with salt, pickled in mustard oil and spices, preserved in sugar syrup as murabba, dried as candy, pressed into juice, and cooked into chyawanprash. Its season is winter. Sugar-heavy murabba and candy add a lot of sugar, so raw amla, amla chutney or a few slices in salad keep the benefit without it. Oranges come mainly from Nagpur, Punjab's kinnow belt and the north-east, and are eaten fresh or juiced. Vitamin C breaks down with heat and long storage, so fresh fruit gives the most.