Citrus & guava

What it does

Vitamin C supports immune cells; guava and amla out-dose oranges.

• Vitamin C density

Where the number comes from

Citrus & guava sits in the fruit group of the Fadnes model, the only peer-reviewed model that converts eating into years of life. The lifetime gain for that group is spread across the days you actually eat it — a daily serving from age 20 to 80 — which gives +10 min per serving. The authors rate the evidence behind this group as low.

What it is made of

• Vitamin C
• Flavanones
• Pectin

Which kind

• Guava — out-doses oranges on vitamin C
• Amla — among the densest known
• Orange — familiar, but not the leader
• Lemon — small serving, small dose

How to eat it

Fresh and raw keeps the C.

Minutes derived from Fadnes LT, Økland J-M, Haaland ØA, Johansson KA. Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study. PLOS Medicine 19(2):e1003889, 2022. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003889