Orange Keto blues again? Here are 4 refreshing hacks

Orange Keto blues is a subject we covered almost 2 years ago. Besides chocolate, orange juice and the taste of orange is the most missed thing for people who are just entering the Keto universe. Orange Keto blues, therefore, is a phrase I use whenever I infuse a Keto dessert with the aroma and flavour of this popular fruit.

But, we must not forget, the amount of sugar in orange is just way too high to reintroduce it in your healthy Keto diet. Especially if you decided to live and eat the Keto Mediterranean style! Orange is present in all Mediterranean recipes, but on Keto, we have a sugary problem here!!!

History of our obsession with orange juice

Interestingly, orange juice is not that popular in all the regions and continents on this planet. Something has happened at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA that changed the tradition of breakfast in the whole western civilisation.

Oranges originated in south-east Asia, not the Mediterranean zone as some think. According to historians, oranges came to Europe between 700 to 1400 AD. Explorers brought them to the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries, and by the 1800s, Florida had a large orange production.

Feeding our body sugar for breakfast?

Even though the taste of sweet was never present in traditional breakfasts, in the 20th-century sugar levels in breakfast started skyrocketing. Sweetened coffee with milk, orange juice, maple syrup on pancakes, cereals with tons of sugar added, marmalade on toast, insulin started leaking through our ears.

If you see a video of people from 1911 New York City when this trend still did not exist, you will notice maybe only one overweight person! The image has changed drastically if you look at the same streets today.

Breakfast habits and sugar levels in diet could be one of the main reasons. Naturally, not the only one because we as humans started other unhealthy trends. But having too much sugar for breakfast is something we simply need to stop doing!

Oranges became popular due to high vitamin C content, but did you know that the fruit where vitamin C was discovered was not orange but mighty Rose hip! It contains much more vitamin C than orange and far less sugar!

Orange Keto hacks that really work

Orange Keto blues can go on and on, but it doesn’t have to be that hard. Here on Greek Goes Keto, we already gave you so many recipes for desserts and drinks that can and should replace orange. You can start with the truffles, then there’s our no-bake Artistic orange pie, Choco orange cake etc…

As you know, orange zest is more than welcome and holds all the typical aroma that makes orange special. Also, we spoke about the essential oil that is extracted from the peel. Furthermore, orange’s yellow cousin lemon can taste like orange if you just give it a small twist. 😉

Orange Keto Hack 1

Let the lemonade become Keto orange juice! This is such a simple hack! You will prepare a classical lemonade but instead of water, you will use rosehip or hibiscus tea. Sweeten it with monk fruit or stevia and maybe add some powdered orange zest. A drop or two of orange blossom water or orange peel essential oil will bring it on an even higher level of flavour and health benefits.

Orange Keto Hack 2

Did you know that bergamot orange is the most aromatic member of the citrus family? It has a specific seductive aroma and its peel can be found in the famous Earl Grey tea. We already wrote an article about this awesome tea and we even made Captain Picard’s brownies with it.

Well, if you add just a few drops of lemon juice (or maybe citric acid extracted from lemons) to a well infused Earl Grey tea, a dash of liquid stevia or monk fruit extract, you will get a pure pleasure without guilt. Serve it cold or warm in a glass and enjoy the beautiful golden-orange hue.

Orange Keto Hack 3

This is the healthies replacement for orange juice on this earth. I already wrote about this alien fruit that is now available to everybody via the internet. It’s the mighty Sea Buckthorn which packs incomparable amounts of vitamins and omega-7, omega-9, omega-3 to any other fruit growing on our planet.

Hippophae is on the throne of Keto friendly juices and at the same time, it is extremely low in sugar. It looks very similar to orange juice, but many Ketonians agree, it tastes even better!

Orange Keto Hack 4

This hack is more Low-Carb then Keto but let’s have it here. If you miss oranges that much and you like the texture, then grapefruit can find the way on your plate occasionally. Have in mind, just half of the grapefruit will give you 9g of sugar! So, if you want to enjoy it, make it only on special occasions or maybe cut a few slices and add them to your Keto friendly cocktail, such as this one!