Most of the fruit we eat has been growing somewhere on the planet for millennia just waiting for humans to discover it. One tasty citrus fruit, on the other hand, was the unlikely love child of oranges and pomelos somewhere on the Caribbean island of Barbados.
Love it or leave it, the sweet and sour flavor of grapefruit is a breakfast staple the world over. The sour citrus tang of this pink-on-the-inside cousin of the orange is a flavor found in everything from candy to cocktails. For many people, the health benefits of eating grapefruit are what make this softball-sized fruit a dietary staple.
With healthcare professionals telling us the value of healthy eating at every turn, it should be no surprise that grapefruit is a favored fruit of registered dietitians and nutritionists. An all-grapefruit diet is probably not going to be a successful eating plan, but adding fresh grapefruit or grapefruit juice into a healthy diet will likely result in lower risk of a whole range of diseases ranging from heart disease to prostate cancer.
Even among citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons, grapefruit stands in a league of its own in terms of health benefits. With positive outcomes in everything from blood pressure and cholesterol to supercharging your immune system, grapefruit brings a lot more to the table than your daily dose of vitamin C.
Packed with antioxidants such as vitamin A and vitamin E, the health benefits of grapefruit are significant. Grapefruit are rich in flavonoids, compounds normally associated with darker-colored fruit such as blueberries, blackberries, or currants. The anti-inflammatory power of antioxidants is well documented, and grapefruit is just one way to help fight the buildup of free radicals in your body that have been linked to everything from cognitive decline to heart disease and arthritis.
In addition to being an important source of vitamins and minerals, grapefruits are free of cholesterol, sodium, or saturated fats. This makes grapefruit an excellent food for many different types of diets, though they are too carbohydrate-heavy for keto diets. A few of the main vitamins and minerals found in grapefruits include:
Insulin resistance is a significant issue for many people, especially those who are at risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity. For people who are in these positions, grapefruit can help control blood sugar levels, which lowers the amount of energy your body tries to store as fat, thus helping you move toward your weight loss goals.
Grapefruit has many nutritional benefits no matter when you eat it. Though it is often consumed as a breakfast food, fresh grapefruit or a glass of grapefruit juice can be good before bed as well. One thing to be careful of no matter when you eat it is that you should not brush your teeth for half an hour as the citric acid in grapefruit can temporarily soften tooth enamel.
Aside from dental concerns, there is no particular time of the day that you should or should not eat grapefruit. Even if you don’t have time to sit down and eat a whole, fresh grapefruit, grabbing some grapefruit juice on the go is something that can fit into even the busiest schedule.
Eating grapefruit is good for nearly every part of your body, but there are a few exceptions to this rule. For individuals who have sensitive teeth, rinsing your mouth out immediately after consuming fruit or consuming cheese alongside fruit to increase saliva production can help avoid potential discomfort.
Another possible side effect of eating grapefruit is the possibility of interactions with medication. Grapefruit can inhibit the production of an enzyme called cytochrome P450, which helps your body process certain medications.
Buying and eating whole grapefruit regularly may not be in the cards for all of us. Healthy eating, especially on a budget or when you are tight on time, may involve getting creative, and thankfully grapefruit juice can provide many of the benefits of eating grapefruit.
For those who are not completely enamored with the distinctive taste of grapefruit, adding some pink grapefruit juice to a smoothie or mixed fruit juice can provide you many of the health benefits without the unique flavor.
Grapefruit juice is a fantastic addition to fruit juice blends, cocktail mixes, kombucha, and even hard seltzers. The tangy flavor can help offset sweeter juices, and the abundant antioxidants and other nutrients will only improve the nutritional facts on the side of any product.
Every ingredient matters when it comes to perfecting the flavor of a juice blend. At FruitSmart, we work with the finest growers from across the world to source and process the highest quality products our partners need to make the products their customers will gravitate toward. If you are interested in learning more about what partnering with FruitSmart can do for your brand, contact us today.
