Grapefruit is one of the largest types of citrus fruits. It is genetically related to pomelos, lemons, and oranges. There are several types of grapefruits, including ruby grapefruit, pink grapefruit, and blond or white grapefruit. On the outside, they basically look the same (pinkish yellow or yellow) but the colors are different inside. They are about 4-6 inches in diameter and can have seeds or be seedless. Grapefruit has a unique and special flavor that some refer to as “paradise”. Its Latin name is referred to as Citrus paradisi. It has a juicy, tangy, and tart flavor with a little bit of sweetness that makes it especially flavorful.
How to Eat Grapefruit
There are several ways to eat grapefruit:
The usual way. The usual way of eating grapefruit is to divide it in half and use a spoon to get each section out separately. It is a good way to eat grapefruit with the maximum of nutrition and a minimal amount of sugar.- Adding sugar on your grapefruit. You can eat grapefruit with sugar on it if you don’t like the bitter taste of the fruit. Children like grapefruit with sugar and it helps them enjoy the fruit better.
Dried grapefruit. You can take the water from a grapefruit through evaporation. This makes for a chip-like, dry snack. They may not be as good for you when compared to whole grapefruit but they are a step up from eating potato chips.- Wine with grapefruit. You can add chunks of grapefruit to wine for an extra kick when you drink the wine. This can help wine be healthier for you and will make the wine sweeter in flavor.
Grapefruit smoothies. Try putting grapefruit along with orange juice, milk, yogurt, bananas, and strawberries for a delicious and healthy drink. Protein powder can be added if you are trying to build muscle.- Grapefruit margaritas. This is one way to eat grapefruit in a drink form. Just add a juiced grapefruit to margarita mix for better flavor and increased nutrition.
- In recipes. You can add grapefruit to many kinds of recipes, including roasted salmon with basil and grapefruit, or grapefruit mixed with risotto. You get extra nutrition when eating recipes containing grapefruit and it can provide you with an extra kick.
Grapefruit salsa. You can learn how to eat grapefruit the healthy way by making a salsa out of grapefruit. Mix grapefruit with mushed avocadoes to your salsa. It allows the salsa to be sweeter in taste.
Nutrition Facts of Grapefruit
As identified by the USDA National Nutrient Database, there are about 52 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrate (of which 8.5 grams are sugar) in a half of a medium pink grapefruit eaten the usual way. And it contains 2 grams of fiber for better digestion and a gram of protein in a serving of grapefruit (one half is one serving).
If you eat one half of a grapefruit each day, you will be able to meet 25 percent of your vitamin A needs, 64 percent of your vitamin C needs, 2 percent of your magnesium needs, and 2 percent of your calcium needs. They also contain a little bit of thiamin, niacin, vitamin E, folate, potassium, zinc, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.
Besides these minerals and vitamins, you can get some great antioxidant effect when eating grapefruit. This is a fruit that contains limonoids, naringenin, beta carotene, and lycopene, which are all good antioxidants that scavenge for oxygen free radicals in your system. You need antioxidants to fight cellular death, heart disease, and certain kinds of cancer.
Research has indicated that fresh red or pink grapefruit is higher in the bioactive compounds found in grapefruit and therefore, has more antioxidant effects when compared to yellow or white grapefruit or grapefruit juice. After knowing how to eat grapefruit, there is something important you need to know.
Grapefruit May Adversely Affect the Effectiveness of Certain Medications
There are certain medications that cannot be taken along with grapefruit because the grapefruit will bind with enzymes in the body, Hence some drugs may interfere with grapefruit.
The problem only occurs in the GI tract so that the interaction between these medications and grapefruit is only a problem if you are taking the medications by mouth at the same time as when you eat grapefruit. Things like injectable medications, skin patches, and sublingual medications may possibly be taken with grapefruit without negative effects.
Note: Alaways consult your physician with the drug interaction before taking the prescribed medication. For more information, please visit Drug Interaction Center.
How Does Grapefruit Interact with Certain Drugs?
There are furanocoumarins inside grapefruit that decrease the activity of a vital enzyme you need to metabolize the medications. The enzyme is located in the GI tract and helps process the drug you are taking so that there is a balance between the amount of drug in the GI tract and the amount inside your bloodstream. These components of grapefruit can decrease the function of the enzyme so that too much of the drug can end up in your blood.