4 Citrus Fruits to Sweeten Your Spring Meals

When spring arrives, you're ready to break out of your winter rut. Put the zing back into your meals with light and colorful citrus fruits. From water spritzers to salads to salsas, citrus makes a delicious addition to almost every kind of dish. These fruits aren't just beautiful to look at and tasty to eat, they're good for you too. Most citrus is high in vitamin C, fiber, and other important minerals. Lighten up your palate and your plate with some of these popular picks.

Lemons

Lemons make a colorful garnish, but these yellow beauties also pack a powerful flavor punch. While there are many varieties of this tart, tangy fruit, early spring is peak season for the Meyer lemon, a Chinese native with sweet juice. As you're making your picks in the produce section, choose fruits that are heavy and have a bright color, as these are often the juiciest. To best enjoy lemons, add slices to a glass of water, spritz the juice over roasted veggies, make a lemon cake, or head outside and enjoy the sunshine with some fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Limes

Another tangy citrus, the taste of the lime is all in its color. The lime's typical bright green hue means you can expect it to have the tart and tangy taste you may want for a drink garnish. If you want to pack some real lime flavor into a dish like a lime cake, don't overlook limes with a yellowish tinge. These ripe limes have lost some of their acidity, but they're still full of flavor. For another way to enjoy this fruit, spritz some zest or juice onto dinnertime dishes like chicken and rice.

Grapefruits

Sweet and tangy, the grapefruit is relatively new on the citrus fruit scene. Horticulturalists at Texas A&M University say it wasn't introduced to the United States until 1823, but it rapidly rose in popularity. This fruit does more than taste good. In fact, according to a 2006 Journal of Medicinal Food study, enzymes within grapefruit, when eaten before other foods, may help you burn fat.. This slightly tart fruit is a breakfast staple, but you can also use slices to brighten a salad, or pair with cottage cheese.

Oranges

Perhaps one of the most popular citrus fruits, oranges originally hail from China and Southeast Asia, but now can be found growing almost anywhere climates are warm enough, including Florida and California. Oranges come in both sweet and bitter varieties, but you're most likely to find sweet picks like navel oranges, Valencia oranges, or blood oranges on store shelves. Enjoy slices alone, pair with vanilla or plain yogurt, or squeeze a fresh glass of juice to pair with your breakfast.

Colorful, tasty, and good-for-you — what more could you want from your food? Try incorporating some of these citrus favorites into your daily meals, and discover how easy it is to enjoy the benefits of these fruits.