The Power of Grapefruit!

The mighty Grapefruit, a beautiful fruit packed with power!  With National Heart Month coming up, what better time to add grapefruit to your diet? Consuming Grapefruit has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

Grapefruit contains plant compounds known as phytochemicals, which are crucial in preventing heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Both pink and red Grapefruit are a good source of Vitamin A and antioxidants.

Important Note: Before adding grapefruit to your daily routine, you should know that grapefruit can interfere with certain medications. In particular, grapefruit can impact the absorption of certain medications you may take for high-cholesterol, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, or some allergies. Make sure to speak with your doctor or Registered Dietitian before you eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice if you are on any of these medications.

Nutrients in a Grapefruit:

The grapefruit is full of heart-healthy vitamins and minerals. Here are just some of the micronutrients found in grapefruits and their protective qualities:

• Vitamin C: Antioxidant, protects immune health, prevents heart disease.

• Vitamin A: Important for vision, the immune system, helps the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs work properly.

• Potassium: Reduces blood pressure and water retention, protect against stroke and prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones.

• Thiamine: Nerve, muscle, and heart function.

• Folate: Important for cell growth and metabolism.

• Magnesium: Regulates muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure.

5 Ways to Enjoy Grapefruit

Now that you’ve learned all the great health benefits of grapefruit, it’s time for the fun part!

Here are several delicious ways to add grapefruit to your day.

1. Plain: Cutting a grapefruit in half and eating with a spoon is simple, yet a delicious way to enjoy it!

2. Drink It: If you aren’t in the mood to chew through your grapefruit, it tastes just as delicious when you juice it! If you are buying grapefruit juice look at the nutrition label and make sure it is 100% Grapefruit juice and not filled with other ingredients such as added sugar or preservatives.

3. Bake it: There are plenty of recipes online to choose from, you can bake your grapefruit into a tasty tart or pie!

4. Freeze it: If you are looking for a tasty frozen treat, you can freeze grapefruit to make sorbet, ice pops, or sherbet!

5. Mix In: Grapefruit is full of flavor and it makes the perfect addition to any main dish, a mix in with a salad or as a marinade to top off your chicken.

Whichever way you decide to eat grapefruit, you can’t go wrong. So try adding this powerful fruit to your fruit rotation during the week.

Pro Tip: The next time you are shopping for grapefruit, look for the heaviest ones (that means they are very juicy)! For storing purposes, you want to keep them in the refrigerator, the chill brings out the flavor.

Your Turn To Action: How will you be eating Grapefruit this week? Let me know in the comments below.

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