Grapefruit is not only a refreshing way to start your day, it is a nutrient-dense food. An entire medium grapefruit has only 40 calories, while offering lots of antioxidants and other nutrients that protect your body. Here is the breakdown of why having a grapefruit a day can keep the doctor away:
- Works as an Antiseptic: Grapefruit contains salicylic acid which is a powerful antiseptic. In addition, grapefruit seed extracts can be added to water to make an antiseptic spray for treating bacterial and fungal infections.
- Helps with Arthritis: The salicylic acid in grapefruit helps break down the body’s inorganic calcium, which builds up in the cartilage of joints and may lead to arthritis. To notice a difference in your arthritic symptoms, try drinking grapefruit juice with apple cider vinegar.
- Helps You Lose Weight: Grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats, has high water content and has less sodium. The combination of these three characteristics make your body’s metabolism increase.
- Improve Vision: it protects your eyes by eating grapefruit, because it is high in vitamin A, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin. These phytochemicals are compounds of vitamin A that protect eye health and lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration, which leads to vision loss.
- Helps Prevent Cancer: Lycopene is a carotenoid pigment that is responsible for the red color of grapefruit. It is a powerful agent against tumors and cancers as it acts to remove free radicals from the body. It works even more powerfully when coupled with Vitamins A and C, which are both found in grapefruit.
- Lower Your Cholesterol: The soluble pectin fiber contained in grapefruit may slow down the development of atherosclerosis. In several studies, grapefruit decreased serum lipid levels in coronary atherosclerosis patients. However, if you are on prescription drugs, do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice.
- Boosts Immune System Grapefruits are packed with Vitamin C, which helps your body fight free radicals!
- Aids Bowel Health: Grapefruits have fiber, which is good for maintaining regular bowel health.
- Supports Heart Health: Potassium, which is abundant in grapefruit, is one of several electrolytes that sustain fluid levels and electrical activity in your body. Normal heart rhythm relies heavily on this function. Insufficient potassium can result in an irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia.
