Grapefruit, whose name means "fruit of paradise," is a relative of the orange. These fruits are categorized as red, pink or white by their interior color. While all colors of grapefruit carry a wealth of health benefits, red grapefruit may be the most beneficial of all.
Grapefruits also helps dissolve in-organic calcium that may have developed around your joints, so they are great if you have any joint pain or arthritis.
It aids in the digestion of your food because of its acidic properties. Eating half a grapefruit after a big meal is one of the best digestives aids available.
A half of a grapefruit contains only 36 calories!
Most of us are well aware of the weight loss benefits of grapefruit but there are so many other positive health benefits from eating grape fruit. Whether you eat it, drink its juice, or use a type of grapefruit seed extract will depend on what health condition you are trying to address.
Let's look at some of the other health benefits!
Vitamins and Minerals
Grapefruit is a wonderful source of vitamin A. One half of a grapefruit rings in at over half of your daily allowance at 6.4 percent. Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision and for the maintenance of teeth, bones and soft tissue. Half of a grapefruit is 3.5 percent of your daily vitamin B5 which is needed by your body to metabolize proteins, fats and carbs. It is also a good source vitamin B9 crucial for brain function and production of genetic material such as DNA and RNA. It is full of potassium which is essential to heart function and to smooth muscle contraction.
Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system.
Vitamin C-rich foods like grapefruit may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms.
Vitamin C also prevents free radical damage and it is associated with reducing the severity of inflammatory conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Adding grapefruit to your diet promotes heart health and helps to lower death risk from stroke and heart disease because it decreases inflammation, blood clotting, and acts as an anti-oxidant. Antioxidants discourage the decay and death of our cells.
Cancer Fighting Benefits:
Grapefruit contains limonoids, which are chemical compounds known to fight different types of cancers, and there are compounds in grapefruit pulp that can help prevent breast cancer.
Tobacco smoke contains cancer-causing agents that are activated by certain enzyme activity; this is reduced by daily consumption of grapefruit juice, which is a powerful anti-oxidant, which helps lower the risks of colon and lung cancers. The primary defense mechanism of the body against cancer is DNA repair, a process which is aided by Naringenin, a flavonoid concentrated in grapefruit. (Flavonoids healthy benefits include specifically antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatlet, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant activities. They add to the overall antioxidant part of our immune system.)
An antioxidant called lycopene which is found in grapefruit may have chemoprotective effects. In a clinical study published in the March 2005 issue of "International Journal of Cancer," researchers found that prostate cancer risk declined with increased consumption of lycopene.
Non-Toxic Remedies
Grapefruit seed extract is a safe, non-toxic remedy for a variety of different pesky conditions such as dandruff, warts, and corns. It works to eliminate head lice and mites when other products fail, and can even be used on pets for skin conditions such as mange, fleas or to treat certain infections. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) can also be used against water and food borne illnesses such as diarrhea and dysentery when traveling, and in the garden as a bug spray or to remove mold and fungus. Grapefruit benefits the skin, too, as a topical anti-acne remedy and aromatherapy agent. (As always, consult a physician before making significant changes to your diet or treatment.)
The Secret to Radiance Skin Health
Grapefruit for skin health is in part due to the fact that it is loaded with Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that helps renew tissue. When applied topically, grapefruit promotes healing of the skin, helps to diminish lines and wrinkles and can lessen damage from the sun by boosting your skin’s natural SPF. Free radicals in your skin are also decreased due to the antioxidant properties of Vitamin C.
Citrus Limonoids
Citrus limonoids found in grapefruit have been proven to develope a detoxifying enzyme that hinders the development of tumors and it assists the liver in excreting toxic compounds more easily. Some studies have shown that limonoids also aid in the fight against a multitude of cancers, including skin cancer. Citrus limonoids aid in heart health by lowering cholesterol and improving circulation which helps carry proper nutrients to the skin and is another reason grapefruit for skin health is so effective.
Lycopene
The reddish color found in fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit varieties comes from a pigment called Lycopene. The Lycopene in grapefruit has the greatest potential power in fighting oxygen free radicals, which aids in prevention of cancer and protecting skin from UV damage.
Pectin Fiber
The soluble pectin fiber which is contained in grapefruit may slow down the development of atherosclerosis. Eating grapefruit can also lower blood levels of bad cholesterol called LDL as well as your levels of triglycerides which a form of fat that is linked to heart disease. In a clinical study published in the 2006 issue of "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," researchers found that, although red grapefruit had higher antioxidant potential than white, both white and red grapefruit decreased serum lipid levels in coronary atherosclerosis patients.
Grapefruit for Weight Loss Boost
The important thing to remember when adding grapefruit to your daily diet is exactly how the grapefruit calories and other chemical properties work to aid weight loss. Do not use grapefruit consumption as a “crash diet” method; instead, incorporate this healthy, low-calorie fruit into your regular diet. Grapefruit are very healthy and should be a part of anyone’s diet, especially if they want to lose weight. Grapefruit is known to be high in fat burning enzymes and low in sodium. Adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your diet is proven to not only help you lose weight, but will also help your body expell excess water that can buildup as a result of a diet high in sodium. Experts recommend that you drink freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or consume half a grapefruit within thirty minutes of your meal for the best effects.
Grapefruit puts your Metabolism into overdrive! It’s important to increase the speed at which your body metabolizes food in order to lose weight. Grapefruit has a high water and fiber content, and when combined with specific acids and enzymes serves as a catalyst to get your internal organs working. Eating grapefruit jumpstarts your digestive system and also stops your body from dropping into starvation mode.
Insulin Reduction
Researchers agree that eating grapefruits for weight loss is effective. Many now believe that eating grapefruit lowers insulin levels in the blood and enables the body to use food for energy more efficiently. Type 2 diabetes patients are often givenlipid-lowering drugs designed to lessen the amount of insulin entering the bloodstream after meals. Naringenin which is contained in grapefruit is an antioxidant that seems to mimic these lipid lowering drugs by reducing the insulin in the bloodstream.
WOW! I'm soooo thirsty for some ice cold grapefruit juice!
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