5 Science Based Reasons to Eat Grapefruit

Back in the 1980's, there was a popular fad diet called the grapefruit diet.

The diet was super restrictive and allowed less than 1000 calories a day . It included few carbohydrates or micronutrients.

It called for eating high-fat, high protein foods with half a grapefruit for 10 days in a row. Medical experts said it was unhealthy and could be dangerous.

Even when people lost the promised 10 pounds in 10 days, they put the weight back on as soon as they stopped the diet.

Though the diet isn't healthy, eating grapefruit is! There are a lot of compelling reasons to eat more grapefruit.

Here are our Top 5 Reasons to Eat Grapefruit

1. Grapefruits are Nutritious

Half a pink grapefruit has no fat, sodium or cholesterol. It has 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of dietary fiber.

All that, and it gives you 64% of your daily dose of Vitamin C and 28% of your Vitamin A requirements.

2. Weight Loss

Adding grapefruit to your diet is hardly a weight loss miracle, but eating half of a grapefruit before meals has been shown to help people lose weight.

A group of 91 obese people ate their regular diet plus grapefruit at every meal. After 12 weeks they had lost an average of 3.52 pounds.

They also had a drop in their insulin level and had improved insulin resistance.

Some health experts believe they lost weight because they felt more full before each meal.

Others think that grapefruit contains a fat-burning enzyme.

3. Stroke Prevention and Heart Health

Grapefruit has compounds that cut women’s risk of stroke by 19%.

It also contains fiber, lycopene, Vitamin C and potassium. These all help improve heart health.

A study showed that eating red grapefruit every day lowers blood lipid levels. This is especially good for people suffering from atherosclerosis.

4. High in Antioxidants

Grapefruit is a great source of Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Antioxidants fight free radicals that cause cancer and inflammation in the body. They also help improve the look and texture of your skin.

5. Hydration and Regularity

Grapefruits are high in fiber and are 91% water. They keep you hydrated and fight constipation.

Adding grapefruit to your diet is easy

They're cheap and always in season.

They can be stored on the counter or kept in the fridge.

WARNING: Grapefruit can interact with certain medications.

Check with your Doctor or Pharmacist before eating it.

Grapefruit segments add zing to salads or smoothies. For a refreshing drink that the whole family can enjoy, mix up a pitcher of this healthy grapefruit and watermelon cooler.

Grapefruit and Watermelon Cooler

1 watermelon, seeded and cut up into chunks
1 ¼ cups of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

Puree watermelon in blender until smooth.

Pour into large bowl and allow to sit for ten minutes, then skim foam from surface and discard.

Strain into pitcher to yield approximately 7 cups of juice.

Stir in grapefruit juice.

Serve.

Yours in Health,

Danette

P.S. Please share this with your friends and I love reading your comments below.