Lime Nutrition Benefits and Facts

Nutritional summary

Limes are historically established as a treatment for scurvy due to their ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content, a discovery that led to the British Navy routinely adding lime juice to sailor rations to prevent disease .
Adding lime juice to meals can help mitigate the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines (harmful compounds) in foods containing nitrates or nitrites, as the vitamin C in the juice acts as a natural inhibitor .
Consuming whole fruits, including citrus, is consistently linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, with large-scale cohort studies showing that high daily fruit and vegetable intake can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by up to 30% .
While whole citrus fruits are beneficial, evidence suggests that increasing the degree of processing—such as moving from fresh lime to ultra-processed fruit beverages—is associated with increased health risks .

Interesting fact

The term 'limey' originated in the 19th century as a nickname for British sailors, who were required by the Royal Navy to consume lime juice daily to prevent scurvy.

Standout nutrients

ELITE

SOURCE

Vitamin C

GREAT

SOURCE

Ascorbic acid

ACE

SOURCE

Water

kcal per 100g

Protein0.65g

Fat0.23g

Carbs2.58g

Fiber2.80g

Sugar1.20g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat0.08g

Monounsat0.02g

Saturated0.05g

Seasonality

Not available

Diet

VeganVegetarianPescatarianGluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow FodmapPaleo

Sustainability

Lighter footprint

Citrus fruits generally have a low carbon footprint, though water usage in arid regions is a factor.

Confidencemedium

Storage

Refrigerate

2–4 weeks

Store in a sealed bag to prevent the skin from drying out.

Room Temperature

5–7 days

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 4 validated sources

French Food Database

1 contributing source food

Phenol-Explorer

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

2 contributing source foods

USDA

USDA FoodData Central

1 contributing source food

Claim citations

Dietary and Policy Priorities for Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes ...

[1]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Vegetables and Fruits - The Nutrition Source

[4]nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu

Nitrate and Nitrite in the Diet: Protective and Harmful Effects in Health and Disease - PMC

[11]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Health effects of fruit juices and beverages with varying degrees of processing - ScienceDirect

[12]www.sciencedirect.comsciencedirect.com

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

100.0

Version

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