Guava vs Orange: nutrition per 100 g

Oranges carry the vitamin C reputation, but the guava sold from handcarts across India beats them easily. Per 100 g, white-fleshed guava has 214.0 mg of vitamin C, covering 268 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 329 per cent of a woman's. Orange pulp has 42.7 mg, covering 53 and 66 per cent. Only amla ranks higher among the 130 foods with a value. Vitamin C helps absorb iron from plant foods and keeps gums and skin healthy, and a single guava covers a day's need.

Guava has 8.6 g of fibre per 100 g, about 6.6 times the 1.3 g in orange pulp, ranking 3rd of 43 fruits, much of it from the seeds and firm flesh. It has slightly fewer calories, 32 kcal against 37 kcal, and less sugar, 4.1 g against 6.9 g. Guava also has twice the protein, 1.4 g against 0.7 g, though both are small amounts. The high fibre makes guava filling for its energy; some people find the seeds hard to digest in large amounts.

Guava has more potassium, 283 mg per 100 g against 164 mg, more magnesium and phosphorus, and about 5.8 times the zinc, 0.23 mg against 0.04 mg. Orange has more iron, 0.81 mg against 0.32 mg, about 2.5 times as much, and slightly more thiamine. Calcium is the same, about 20 mg. Guava has more beta-carotene, 298 micrograms against 32, more folate, 30 against 19 micrograms, and more vitamin B6 and niacin. Pink-fleshed guavas, not shown here, are usually richer in carotenoids than white ones.

Guava, called amrood, peru, koyya or pera, is grown widely in Uttar Pradesh, especially around Prayagraj, and in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. It is sold sliced with chaat masala and chilli salt, made into guava cheese and jelly, and eaten half-ripe for its crunch. Orange comes from Nagpur, Punjab's kinnow orchards and the north-east, and is peeled and eaten or juiced. Both peak in winter, and guava is usually the cheaper of the two.