![]() If you live in a climate where dreary winter weather stretches into March or beyond, you probably know what I’m talking about! That’s why I was so excited to continue my partnership with the Florida Department of Citrus. ![]() Similar to couscous, fregola is somewhere between a grain and a pasta, with a nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with tart grapefruit slices and tangy feta.Every year, around the middle of February, I start to crave sunshine, warmth, and color. Want more inspiration for grapefruit? Check out these healthy recipes. She also recommends grapefruit as a topping for avocado toast or incorporated into fresh salsa. Landry's all-time favorite way to eat this citrus fruit is to add some peeled pink grapefruit to a salad because "it adds a fresh, sweet-but-tart flavor." Try using grapefruit juice on a salad as an ingredient in vinaigrette, which pairs well with avocado or feta cheese.įor breakfast, grapefruit is best enjoyed raw, or even broiled with a little honey or sugar sprinkled on top, suggests Waddill. Pink and red grapefruit are a source of phytochemical lycopene-predominantly found in red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and watermelon-that helps protect your skin from free radicals. RELATED: How Much Vitamin C Is in an Orange? It's rich in flavonoids.Īnother major health benefit of grapefruit is they're comprised of flavonoids, which are shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Waddill says. Some research suggests that vitamin C may also help regenerate other antioxidants in the body, including vitamin E. She adds that vitamin C is required for biosynthesizing collagen, which helps to heal wounds. "One of the key benefits of grapefruit is its high concentration of vitamin C, which plays an important role in the body's regular immune system function and improves the absorption of iron present in plant-based foods," explains Waddill. It also has about 2 grams of dietary fiber and is an excellent source of vitamins C and A. Like most fruits, grapefruit is low in calories, containing about 60 calories per one-half of a medium grapefruit (around 154 grams). 3 Top Health Benefits of Grapefruit It's an excellent source of vitamin C. ![]() If you're worried about a possible interaction, speak with your doctor before adding grapefruit to your diet. "However, not all drugs in any one class usually have an interaction, so a doctor can help you select an alternative medication," he adds. Medications that most commonly interact with grapefruit include cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), blood pressure medications, and most antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Grapefruit can alter enzymes in the body, which affects how medications are processed before they're eliminated, according to Landry. Getty Images Who Shouldn't Eat Grapefruit? "The absence of fiber can lead to spikes in blood sugar," he adds. But if you blend a fruit like a grapefruit (as in a smoothie) instead of juicing, you maintain that fiber, which helps you digest nutrients and sugars more slowly. "When you juice a fruit, you'll get most of the nutrients but lose nearly all of the fiber," says Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine based in Palo Alto, California. ![]() That said, drinking 100 percent grapefruit juice may provide slightly more flavonoids, due to the processing of the peel into juice. The benefit of eating the whole fruit is that you'll get more fiber. So there are pros and (minor) cons to consuming grapefruit either way: whole or juiced. (By the way, according to the USDA, about 80 percent of Americans do not meet their daily recommendations for fruit.) Grapefruit (and 100 percent grapefruit juice) are nutrient-rich options that can help you achieve the recommended 2 cups of fruit per day, says Mary Waddill, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and product compliance and nutrition analyst with Whole Foods Market based in Austin, Texas. Fun fact: Grapefruit juice is considered one of the most nutrient-dense juices compared to other non-fortified, 100 percent juices. The good news? Drinking grapefruit juice also reaps healthy benefits-as long as it's 100 percent real grapefruit juice. Eating fresh, whole grapefruit has many nutritional benefits, too, making it a smart choice to enjoy on its own for breakfast, as a snack, or even for dessert. You already know citrus fruits like grapefruit can add a delightful acidity and punch of flavor to everything from cocktails to baked goods to salads. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |