Most of the time, if you’re eating an orange or a clementine, you probably toss the white stringy pith alongside the crumpled remains of the orange peel. While this is likely more out of habit than anything, you should consider eating the pith alongside the orange. It may come as a surprise, but the pith can actually be very healthy.
The pith, although relatively tasteless and more chewy than anything else, is actually very high in fiber and contains a surprisingly high amount of vitamin C. In fact, the pith alone contains nearly as much vitamin C as the orange itself does. It is also high in assorted flavonoids, which may be able to improve blood vessel health and reduce inflammation, per the American Heart Association. According to Andrew Weil, M.D., Other flavonoids found in the pith can also have antioxidant properties and even help to reduce the absorption of carbohydrates in your intestinal tract. In short, the pith isn’t harmful to consume and can in fact be very beneficial to your health.
Now should you eat the pith on its own? Not unless you really want to, of course. It’s best to eat the pith alongside the fruit itself as you eat it — not just for the combined dose of vitamins and minerals, but because it’ll be much easier to enjoy than eating the pith tissue on its own.