Benefits of eating grapefruit full#

Staying hydrated is also important for digestive health, and since grapefruits are great sources of fiber, consuming them as a whole fruit can help maintain balance in the gut. Grapefruits are also more than 90% water, making them a great fruit to consume to keep hydrated.

Research has connected consumption of grapefruits to preventing colon and prostate cancer, heart health and the lowering of cholesterol.

Benefits of eating grapefruit full#

Īs a whole fruit, grapefruits are packed full of vitamin C and other antioxidants such as flavonoids, and have very good dietary fiber content. For example, research has suggested that grapefruit juice can both help fight against insulin resistance and weight gain, both of which are major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, and also that grapefruit juice may be an effective management tool for existing diabetics. One significant difference is its much higher content of antioxidant compounds in comparison to other commercial fruit juices. Its essential oil is said to have many health benefits: anti-spasmodic, anti-coagulant. Lycopene is an antioxidant found in grapefruit which imparts the red. It is rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. While one must be careful of consuming too much fruit juice in general, due to its significantly higher glycemic load in comparison to the whole fruit itself, grapefruit juice in particular has shown some major health benefits. Eating half a grapefruit daily can meet 64 of your daily Vitamin C requirement. Countries such as Brazil and Israel are also now major cultivators of grapefruit. Florida remains a large producer of grapefruits in the United States, along with California and Texas. Ĭultivation of grapefruits spread to different parts of the Caribbean, and was particularly popular in Jamaica where it was referred to as “the forbidden fruit.” By the late 19th century it had made its way to the United States via Safety Harbor, Florida, and from there cultivation in the United States began. Grapefruit being a hybrid species accounts for the “x” in its botanical name, Citrus X paradisi. Their existence as a fruit species is short, as grapefruits resulted from an inadvertent cross between two non-endemic species, the sweet orange and pomelo(shaddock), on the island of Barbados in the 18th century. Grapefruits are relatively large citrus fruits with a combination of slightly sweet and bitter flavor profiles, a yellowish peel, and deep pink flesh.