Wednesday 20 April 2011

Grapefruit


Some people love the sour taste of them, and some people hate them. I love them. Not just for their great taste, but because of all the amazing benefits they have.

They are a great way to start your day, so have one before breakfast. Just don't cover it in sugar like some people do. They are also good in salads with some nuts or you can make sorbet or marmalade from them.

They are full of vitamin C which is great for keeping colds at bay. I am currently drinking a pint of vitamin C suppliment every morning to keep me healthy for the wedding.
A surpring, but really healthy, part of the grapefruit (and oranges too) is the albedo. That is the white skin between the peel and the actual fruit you eat. Most people will try and take as much of that off as possible because it is bitter but it is so good for you as it is full of anti-cancer agents.

One of the famous benefits of grapefruit is its cholesterol reducing benefits. This is because of the levels of pectin it contains. Basically, your arteries will be better off if you eat grapefruit once a day. Red grapefruit is most effective for this.

Other benefits are sleep promotion, helps digestive disorders, relieves sore throats and they can perk you up at the end of a long day.

The reason I first starting eating grapefruit is because of their fat-burning enzymes. They also reduce and absorb the sugar and starch in the body. There are fad diets out there that tell you to eat pretty much nothing but grapefruits for a week. This is just stupid as too much of anything is bad for you. Too much grapefruit can make you calcium deficient and cause tooth decay because of all the citrus. There is another, much healthy way to benefit from these fat-burning enzymes. Cut up a grapefruit in the morning into 6 segments and have 2 before each of your meals in the day. They will help burn the fat you are eating.

The one thing I will say though is that grapefruits high levels of flavoured naringin which will reject pharmaceutical drugs. So, if you are on medication, avoid grapefruit. But your doctor should have told you that already.

1 comment:

  1. Hi there- just came across your blog. Brilliant meal ideas and diet tips.

    My name is Alison and I write features for womens magazines.

    Have you considered sharing your weight loss story in a feature? If so please email me at alison.stacey@gmail.com and I can explain how it all works.

    I hope to hear from you,

    Alison

    ReplyDelete