NEW OBSESSION: Grapefruit!

So last year it was cranberries, trail mix and more recently nuts.  Nuts nuts nuts nuts nuts!  All things nuts.  Almonds were definitely my "gateway nut" which brought me into the world of cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts....all sorts of nuts.

Fast forward a couple months and it was ALL THINGS COCONUT.  Coconut this, coconut that....dark chocolate dipped coconut, raw coconut chips and anything flavored would be flavored coconut for sure.

Well nooooow - new obsession is grapefruit.  I was never a fan of bitter but this bitter cross between a sweet orange and pomelo has me drooling at the thought of the Ruby Red goodness.  I've always heard grapefruit is good for you and it tastes like it's better for you then most fruits but WHY?  What about a grapefruit makes it good for you?

Like usual, I have a need to know basis.  I decided to look a bit more into the new fruit and see what these babies are all about......

5 Health Benefits of Grapefruit:

1) Grapefruit helps in losing weight:

This fruit is high in enzymes that burn fats and has a high water content and low sodium.  This combination is the perfect food for helping to increase your metabolism.  If you can eat or drink grapefruit in small amounts everyday you will notice a quicker weight drop.  The study on www.health.com shows that people that ate 1/2 a grapefruit before their meal (without many ANY other dietary changes) lost an average of 3.5 lbs over 12 weeks because their metabolism was quicker eating the super fruit. 

2) Prevents arthritis and works as an antiseptic:

Grapefruit contains salicylic acid that helps break down the body's inorganic calcium, which builds up the cartilage of joined that may lead to arthritis.  The salicylic acid in grapefruit also works as a powerful antiseptic.  In addition, grapefruit seeds extracts can be added to water to make and antiseptic spray for treating bacterial and fungal infection. 

3) Grapefruit helps in cancer prevention:

 Lycopene is a pigment that is responsible for the red color of grapefruit.  It is a powerful agent against tumors and cancers.  There is also an antioxidant compound, called naringenin found in grapefruit.  This helps repair damaged DNA in prostate cancer cells.  

4) Grapefruit helps lower cholesterol levels:

The antioxidants found in grapefruit are effective in reducing cholesterol levels (but watch out - if you're on medication you may be told NOT to eat grapefruit).  This fruit can protect your heart a great deal.  The deep red varieties pack the biggest punch because they have higher levels of antioxidants. 

5) Grapefruit treats various common ailments:

Eating grapefruit or drinking its juice helps treat common cold and fever, dissolve gallstones, boose liver function and enhance immunity again infections.  As grapefruit contains a dietary fiber called pectin, it thus promotes better digestion.  In addition - it will help with having healthier and smoother skin!  Grapefruit also contains essential elements such as iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid and B vitamins.  You can extract oil from the peel and use it in aromatherapy!  Often times they say you can cut one in 1/2, throw some sugar on it and exfoliate your skin just using the 1/2 piece of fruit. 

FYI - some Kettle ONE and some fresh grapefruit juice is fantastic.  The bitter cuts the vodka taste and it's harder to get too hungover because there isn't as much sugar as store bought "mixers"...

I'm beginning to think these new in depth views at various healthy tasty items may become a standard for Jen Is Trayning...  Stay tuned and by all means, send over some suggestions!