Grapefruit – Super food for Health
Grapefruits are now found to be a super food for health. Particularly, because of the diet fad, this citrus fruit is gaining popularity. The main reason for grapefruits to increase a trend is its best benefit in weight loss. It has also been scientifically proven that these grapefruits contain rich components for good health.
Grapefruits are actually belonging to the citrus family of fruits – a hybrid from sweet orange and pomelo. Originated from the subtropical regions, this grapefruit is contained with 60% of water and fiber. The fruit is yellow or red hued with a sweet to bitter taste.
Nutrition Benefits
- Grapefruits are full of nutrients but low in calories. This makes it an excellent choice for weight loss.
- It is a good source for vitamins A and C. it has 23% of vitamin A, 52% of vitamin C and 5% of vitamin B6.
- It also has 2% each of calcium and phosphorus.
- Grapefruit has a compound called glycemic index of 25, which affects the body insulin levels.
Possible Health Benefits of Grapefruit
Digestion
Having lots of fiber and water content, grapefruits aids a lot in digestion. Consuming grapefruit can keep your stomach feel fuller. It also helps in preventing constipation and regulates digestive tract problems. Grapefruits are loaded with pectin. This helps in flushing out heavy metal toxins during the digestive process.
Weight loss
Consuming grapefruits daily before a meal could help in weight loss. Moreover there had been lots of research studies surrounding the fruit and its ability to reduce obesity. There are also favorable reports from obese patients.
Sugar level
Grapefruits are showing favorable impacts on body’s insulin resistance. This means they are good for diabetes and other symptoms of regulating sugar level in the body.
Heart health
The compounds found in grapefruit are found to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in women. The combined nutrients of fiber, lycopene, potassium, and vitamins helps in maintaining heart health. It lowers the body cholesterol as it has high level of antioxidants.
Lowers blood pressure
The impact of potassium in grapefruit is many. Increasing grapefruit intake is said to have associated with low blood pressures. Moreover, high potassium intake would help in preserving bone mineral density and loss of muscle mass.
Combats Cancer
The presence of flavonoid and naringin in grapefruit helps in reducing the risk of cancer-causing antigens. Grapefruits have limonin benefits and this suppress the colon cancer development. Moreover, the citrus flavonoid naringenin in grapefruits helps in stimulating DNA repair against prostate cancer cells.
Detoxification
Since grapefruits have high amounts of vitamin C, it keeps common colds at bay. It contains glutathione which is an excellent liver detoxifier. It also helps in detoxifying harmful body chemicals.