Limes | Health Notes at WWSM | Health Information at WWSM

Limes

This little fruit packs a flavoursome punch—discover great ways to use it in almost any dish

Best to buy
Choose firm, uniformly coloured limes. Avoid fruit that is hard or that shows brown or white spots, which indicate age and mould.

Cut & clean
Wash under cold water and cut into segments or slices. Keep limes in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or at room temperature for up to one week.

Power food
Limes are an excellent source of vitamin C.

It’s in the zest
Use a microplane grater to zest a lime and use in punches, cakes, sauces, and more.

Also indexed as: Bearss Limes, Key Limes, Persian Limes

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Preparation, uses, and tips

Limes can be used in almost every dish where lemons are called for, including soups, sauces, vinaigrettes, cakes and other desserts, sorbet, and as an addition to drinks, such as margaritas. Seviche, the raw seafood dish from Peru, uses lime juice as a marinade. Limes are a popular ingredient in the cuisines of Latin America, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries, as well as India, Africa, and the West Indies. Try using the discarded rind of juiced limes to clean copper-bottomed pots and pans.

Buying and storing tips

Limes should be rather firm, with uniformly coloured skin. As they ripen their green colour pales and becomes yellow. Avoid fruit that is hard or that shows brown or white spots, characteristics indicating age and mould. While genuinely glossy skin is better, this can be hard to determine, as the fruit is often waxed for appearance. More perishable than lemons, limes will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and will keep at room temperature for up to one week.

Varieties

Although limes can be either sweet or sour, the sour varieties are the ones generally available in North America. Among the varieties commonly found at the market are the California seedless, called Bearss; the acidic Persian variety, grown in Florida; and the small round Key lime, an acidic variety that grows in Mexico and Florida.

Nutrition Highlights

Lime, 1 fruit (2-inch [5cm] diameter)
Calories: 15
Protein: 0g
Carbohydrate: 6g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 2g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (20.10mg)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines.

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires September 2008.