Believed to be a hybrid of two citrus plants, namely the orange and pomelo, grapefruit earned its name because of the rather unusual clumping of its fruits as they grow, which somewhat resembles a cluster of grapes.
Moreover, it is also one of the most abundant citrus fruits when it comes to juice. Did you know that you can easily get at least a 2/3 cup serving of juice from a single medium-sized grapefruit?
That’s value 🙂
6 Juicy Grapefruit Juice Benefits
The beautifully hued grapefruit is still less popular than its more well-known citrus counterparts and sure, it doesn’t quite have the sweetness of orange or the strong, zesty kick of the lemon, but this is one fruit you’ll definitely want to have around especially if you’re juicing for weight loss.
Not to mention the myriad of other health benefits grapefruit provides…
Aids DNA repair
According to research published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, grapefruit juice is naturally packed with a type of flavonoid called naringenin.
Apart from significantly protecting the body from bad bacteria like salmonella typhi, escherichia and staphylococcus aureus, naringenin was also hown to help pick up the pace on the repair of damaged DNA, which can lead to premature aging as well as the development of cancer.
Helps prevent kidney stones
Kidney stones are formed when calcium oxalate is allowed to freely accumulate in the system. Although the body has the ability to get rid of very minimal amounts of this chemical compound, it becomes a different story when calcium oxalate crystals have clumped together to form stones.
The regular consumption of grapefruit juice basically amps up the production and excretion of citric acid in the body that helps break down calcium oxalate crystals so they won’t get the chance to fully develop into kidney stones.
Helps stave off arthritis
One of the causes of arthritis is the accumulation of excessive levels of inorganic calcium in the body. Now while these minerals do have a few benefits to the system, particularly keeping bones and teeth strong, having too much of them at once can lead to the swelling of joint cartilage, which can result in arthritis if not properly attended to.
The good news? Grapefruit juice is loaded with salicylic acid that helps flush out the surplus inorganic calcium to prevent them from triggering arthritis anytime soon.
Great for weight loss
It’s really no mystery why more and more people are jumping on the grapefruit juice bandwagon to get rid of extra weight. Compared to most of its citrus cousins like the lime, lemon and orange, grapefruit possesses a lot more enzymes that have fat burning properties.
And just to make things even more interesting, it also has a lesser amount of sodium and sugar than its counterparts, meaning it keeps blood glucose levels stable (as well as your appetite) – further aiding in both weight loss and energy stores. Want to know more low sugar fruits to juice for weight loss?
Aside from the very high levels of vitamin C you can get with each glass, grapefruit juice also flaunts a more diverse array of phenolic compounds that help the body bolster its metabolic function.
Keeps bad cholesterol levels down
According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, grapefruit juice is a very rich source of the soluble fiber called pectin. Now while pectin is popularly known as an agent to make jellies and jams, it also has the ability to normalize spikes in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol when consumed on a regular basis.
Remarkably, although both red and blond grapefruit varieties have similar naringinen, fiber, ascorbic acid and phenolic content, scientists share that the former has a higher amount of anthocyanins and flavonoids that make it more effective in controlling bad cholesterol levels. So go pink, okay?
Helps prevent colon cancer
Based on the results of a study presented during the 228th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, grapefruit juice is found to have very high levels of beneficial compounds like nobiletin, naringenin, naringin, limonin, hesperidin and apigenin that have the ability to hasten cancer cell apoptosis as well as prevent them from multiplying.
Tips for Juicing Grapefruit
- Since grapefruit juice has enzymes that help control insulin levels, it is also a good choice to reach for if you’re looking for an all-natural diabetes inhibitor.
- Make sure you consult with your doctor first before making grapefruit juice a mainstay in your diet since it can interfere with the effects of some anti-arrhythmia and antihistamine medications.
- Grapefruit peel contains a variety of sweet-smelling oils that can help the brain release mood-altering hormones when inhaled. It is actually one of the most popular aromatherapy oils used these days.
