Grapefruit is rarely mentioned as a superfood extraordinaire. Nutrition authors rarely give it a place on their top foods lists. Few people even consider grapefruit for its health-promoting properties. Yet, this humble citrus fruit deserves to take its rightful place among the superfood giants.
Here are 14 health benefits of grapefruits and why you might want to add them to your daily diet:
1. Let’s start with the most obvious reason–grapefruit is high in immune-boosting vitamin C.
2. That leads to the next reason: grapefruit’s vitamin C content also naturally boosts the body’s amount of glutathione, which helps to conquer the effects of stress and aging.
3. It is high in antiviral phytonutrients called terpene limonoids which help to give cold and flu viruses the boot.
4. Terpene limonoids have also been shown in many studies to have anti-cancer effects.
5. Also, these Terpene limonoids in grapefruit help lower high cholesterol levels.
6. Many studies confirm that grapefruit is an excellent weight loss food. In one study at John Hopkins University, women who eat grapefruit daily shed almost 20 pounds on average in only 13 weeks, without changing anything else in their diet or lifestyle.
7. Grapefruit has natural anti-pain propertiesthanks to its natural aspirin content, salicylic acid.
8. Grapefruit contains a special type of fiber, called pectin, which binds to cholesterol and helps to remove arterial buildup.
9. It is high in limonene, which has natural anti-cancer properties, particularly against stomach and pancreatic cancer. You’ll need to add grapefruit zest to your foods since most of the limonene is found in grapefruit’s skin.
10. Grapefruit contains powerful antioxidantsthat help protect the body’s cells from damage.
11. As a source of fiber, grapefruit also helps keep you regular and promotes intestinal health.
12. Pink grapefruit contains lycopene, which helps protect against bladder, cervical and pancreatic cancer.
13. Regularly smelling the scent of grapefruit was shown to suppress weight gain, according to research published in Experimental Biology and Medicine.
14. Other research at the Department of Nursing at the Wonkwang Health Science College in Korea found that abdominal massage with specific essential oils, including grapefruit oil, reduced belly fat in post-menopausal women. The women who used the grapefruit-lemon-cypress oil blend had significantly less abdominal fat at the end of the study. Their waist measurements dropped significantly compared to the control group.
