Winter is citrus season, so why not expand your everyday menus to include a budget-friendly fruit you may not be so familiar with? Gorgeous grapefruit packs a powerful punch in delivering lots of health benefits, and it’s delicious too.
Although grapefruit has been rated among the top 20 healthiest breakfast foods, you can enjoy it anytime in a wide choice of delicious ways. It has become a popular and trendy ingredient in salads, pairing well with avocado, which is also in season at the moment, so take advantage of the lower prices.
Grapefruit can be added to roast chicken or fish dishes, and it adds flair to desserts and pastry tartlets with a distinct citrusy tang . It’s also a refreshing addition to a fruit punch with mint and rooibos tea, or get creative and invent your own mocktail.
Related article: How to store fruit to last longer
BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM
Packed with antioxidants (vitamins A and C, lycopene, and beta carotene, to name just a few), grapefruit helps to give the body’s immune system a boost and fight disease.
With winter colds and the flu ready to attack, arm yourself with grapefruit to reduce the time you take to recover. It can also make you feel better by reducing how severe the infection becomes. Lycopene is known to assist the body to fight certain cancers, while beta carotene helps prevent chronic diseases.
EXCELLENT SOURCE OF FIBRE AND WATER
Our digestive systems need fibre to function properly. Fibre provides bulk to move food along the digestive tract and prevents constipation. It also slows the absorption of sugar, so prevents blood sugar spikes, thus benefitting people with diabetes, and preventing people from developing type 2 diabetes.
But doctors always caution people who add fibre to their diet not to forget to drink water – fibre without proper hydration can cause blockages and worse constipation. Grapefruit is an excellent source of both: fibre in the pith (the white part that surrounds the fruit) and a high percentage of juice (92% water) in the fruit.
Related article: 5-water rich foods to keep you nourished and hydrated
Grapefruit can be added to roast chicken or fish dishes, and it adds flair to desserts and pastry tartlets with a distinct citrusy tang . It’s also a refreshing addition to a fruit punch with mint and rooibos tea, or get creative and invent your own mocktail.
Related article: How to store fruit to last longer
BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM
Packed with antioxidants (vitamins A and C, lycopene, and beta carotene, to name just a few), grapefruit helps to give the body’s immune system a boost and fight disease.
With winter colds and the flu ready to attack, arm yourself with grapefruit to reduce the time you take to recover. It can also make you feel better by reducing how severe the infection becomes. Lycopene is known to assist the body to fight certain cancers, while beta carotene helps prevent chronic diseases.
EXCELLENT SOURCE OF FIBRE AND WATER
Our digestive systems need fibre to function properly. Fibre provides bulk to move food along the digestive tract and prevents constipation. It also slows the absorption of sugar, so prevents blood sugar spikes, thus benefitting people with diabetes, and preventing people from developing type 2 diabetes.
But doctors always caution people who add fibre to their diet not to forget to drink water – fibre without proper hydration can cause blockages and worse constipation. Grapefruit is an excellent source of both: fibre in the pith (the white part that surrounds the fruit) and a high percentage of juice (92% water) in the fruit.
Related article: 5-water rich foods to keep you nourished and hydrated
ASSISTS WITH WEIGHT LOSS
Many studies show that people who have half a grapefruit or grapefruit juice before every meal lose more weight compared with people who don’t. Scientists aren’t sure if it may be the effect of the fruit making people feel fuller, rather than any magic ingredient in the grapefruit. But as it’s so healthy anyway, maybe it’s worth giving it a try.
Related article: Help! Why am I craving sugar and how can I stop?
AIDS WOUND HEALING
Vitamin C is well-known to be excellent in promoting wound healing after surgery. It helps create healthy scar tissue at the wound site, as well as new blood vessels, to speed up the recovery process. One grapefruit contains 120% of the recommended daily amount, so it’s an easy and convenient way of making sure you get a daily dose.
HELPS PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND STROKE
Studies have shown that regular consumption of grapefruit has helped reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol, the low-density lipoprotein type that puts us at risk of heart disease and stroke. It also lowers triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are another type of fat that can clog up arteries, causing heart disease.
Not surprisingly, people with high blood pressure also respond well when eating grapefruit, and have had lower measurements recorded. So grapefruit is a good all-rounder for promoting heart health. But if you’re on blood pressure or heart medication, please see the warning below.
A WORD OF WARNING – DRUG INTERACTIONS
If you take prescription medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist before increasing your grapefruit intake significantly – it does interact with some classes of drugs, so it’s best to find out first if it’s right for you.
Related article: 7 healthy foods that taste just like your favourite treats
Many studies show that people who have half a grapefruit or grapefruit juice before every meal lose more weight compared with people who don’t. Scientists aren’t sure if it may be the effect of the fruit making people feel fuller, rather than any magic ingredient in the grapefruit. But as it’s so healthy anyway, maybe it’s worth giving it a try.
Related article: Help! Why am I craving sugar and how can I stop?
AIDS WOUND HEALING
Vitamin C is well-known to be excellent in promoting wound healing after surgery. It helps create healthy scar tissue at the wound site, as well as new blood vessels, to speed up the recovery process. One grapefruit contains 120% of the recommended daily amount, so it’s an easy and convenient way of making sure you get a daily dose.
HELPS PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND STROKE
Studies have shown that regular consumption of grapefruit has helped reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol, the low-density lipoprotein type that puts us at risk of heart disease and stroke. It also lowers triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are another type of fat that can clog up arteries, causing heart disease.
Not surprisingly, people with high blood pressure also respond well when eating grapefruit, and have had lower measurements recorded. So grapefruit is a good all-rounder for promoting heart health. But if you’re on blood pressure or heart medication, please see the warning below.
A WORD OF WARNING – DRUG INTERACTIONS
If you take prescription medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist before increasing your grapefruit intake significantly – it does interact with some classes of drugs, so it’s best to find out first if it’s right for you.
Related article: 7 healthy foods that taste just like your favourite treats
GORGEOUS GRAPEFRUIT: AN IN-SEASON POWERHOUSE OF AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS
Reviewed by Edgars Mag
on
June 06, 2022
Rating:
Reviewed by Edgars Mag
on
June 06, 2022
Rating:
