The Glorious Grapefruit

Perhaps no other fruit, or food, for that matter, is more associated with dieting than the humble grapefruit (except for maybe celery). If anyone in a movie or television show is trying to lose weight, they will most likely be seen eating a grapefruit, especially for breakfast. Why is that? My guess is because it’s known to have few calories, high water content and lots of vitamin C. However, there’s more to the glorious grapefruit than vitamin C and few calories.

Let’s begin at the beginning. The grapefruit is thought to be a natural hybrid. That is, it grew on its own when seafarers inadvertently brought the Indonesian pomelo and the Jamaican sweet orange together on the Caribbean island of Barbados. It is first mentioned by Europeans in 1750 and referred to as the forbidden fruit for some reason, perhaps for the same reason the Lambada is known as the forbidden dance. Regardless, soon after, it was first called the grapefruit by naturalist, John Lunan, because it grew in bunches, similar to…you guessed it, grapes.

Grapefruit then arrived in Florida in 1823 where Kimball Atwood eventually created the largest grapefruit grove in the world. Inevitably, variants were bred and today we have over a dozen varieties, to include pink, ruby red, white, and Rio star. Today, China, believe it or not, produces over half the world’s grapefruit with Vietnam, the U.S. and Mexico also producing large amounts.

Now that you have the history of the grapefruit, let’s discuss its nutritional value and why it’s considered such a healthy fruit. While a grapefruit is 90% water, the other 10% packs quite a nutritional punch. Half a grapefruit only has 50 calories and almost no fat (0.2 grams), hence its association with dieting. Most of us understand that all citrus fruits contain a great deal of vitamin C and the grapefruit is no different. Half a grapefruit contains 64% of our recommended daily allowance of vitamin C which supports immune health and helps your body absorb and store iron.

The grapefruit also contains smaller amounts of essential nutrients, such as potassium, which supports normal cell function, helps regulate your heartbeat, and helps nerve and muscle function. Unlike other citrus fruits, grapefruit is a good source of vitamin A or beta carotene which supports eye health, the immune system and is an anti-inflammatory. The last significant nutrient within grapefruit is the antioxidant known as lycopene which gives the fruit its color and has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and blood pressure within overweight people.

Aside from eating grapefruit halved with some sugar for breakfast, try sprinkling the open half with some brown sugar and broiling it for a few minutes…just divine. Another great breakfast recipe is to layer grapefruit sections with low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt and top it with sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey. Grapefruit sections are also great in salads and here are two

quick recipes…toss grapefruit sections with some arugula, parmesan cheese and pistachios or with some avocado, lime juice, a dash of salt and some cilantro and/or mint leaves.

There you have it, the history and nutritional value of the grapefruit with a few simple recipes thrown in at no extra charge. And remember, you don’t need to be on a diet to enjoy this forbidden fruit or the forbidden dance for that matter.