Grape Scott! Going Ga Ga for Grapefruit
Monday, January 9, 2012
It’s citrus season, baby! In Florida, that is. This weekend the mountain of gorgeous ruby reds at the store got my heart all aflutter. I just love those juicy orbs, don’t you?
Aside from the refreshing sweet-tart flavor, there’s plenty more reason to toss a few of ‘em into your grocery cart next time you hit the store.
- Kicking the Common Cold: Like any citrus fruit, grapefruit is one of nature’s best sources of the cold-busting, immune-system busting vitamin C.
- Boasting Anticancer Properties: Grapefruit gets its trademark pink/red color from lycopene, a carotenoid that appears to have anticarcinogenic properties and helps fight free radicals. It’s also been found to reduce the chance of lung and colon cancers in particular.
- Taking Those Cholesterol Levels Down a Notch: The pectin that’s in grapefruit has been shown to reduce blood levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Cleaning Kidneys: Got kidney stones? (You don’t have to answer that.) A British study found that women who drank grapefruit, apple, or orange juice daily experienced significantly reduced risk of forming kidney stones.
Feeling inspired? Put grapefruit on the grocery list, and enjoy raw through the week for breakfast or as a snack, then maybe treat the family to a sweet treat after dinner one night. For those who haven’t had it, broiled grapefruit and brown sugar is absurdly good—think creme brulee in fruit form.
* Nutritional facts culled from WHFoods.
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Food Facts: 24 Carrot Gold
Food Facts: State of the Artichoke
Food Facts: Good Gourd!
