10 Reasons To Eat More Of This One Incredible Fruit (Gotta Love #5)

Grapefruits on a wooden table with green foliage

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It’s a little bit sour, really juicy, and has more benefits than you can shake a stick at. What is this powerful fruit from South America that is a natural hybrid between a pomelo and an orange? It’s a grapefruit! Just the mere mention of the name is probably making your lips puckers and your mouth start salivating!

Typically served on American breakfast tables, grapefruits are overflowing with vitamin C and other important nutrients that can do a whole lot more than just spice up your breakfast plate. If you love grapefruit — or even if you don’t — you will want to keep reading and find out what this large and lovely fruit has to offer you.

1. Reduces Stress

This is one thing most people never think of when they dip into that juicy grapefruit half. In fact, you don’t even have to eat one to get this benefit. Studies have shown that just the smell of grapefruit can inhibit stress and anxiety. One study, published in the 1995 Japanese Journal of Psychopharmacology, found that grapefruit and other citrus fragrances restored the stress-induced suppression of the immune system and induced a sense of calm in studies done with stressed mice. Aroma therapists believe that the scent of grapefruit can cheer and energize the mind, which is perhaps why so many people enjoy starting the day with this tasty fruit.

2. An Amazing Boost To The Immune System

Large amounts of vitamin C can help prevent the common cold or lessen the symptoms of one should you become infected. Vitamin C is well-known for improving the immune system. In fact, without vitamin C, your immune system would fall apart! In addition to improving the immune system, vitamin C has protective effects when it comes to cancer of the stomach and oral cancers. Grapefruit also fights free radicals in the body, which cause damage to us on a cellular level.

3. Fights And Reverses Gum Disease

Scientists have conducted studies showing that consuming two grapefruits every day can help prevent and even reverse the damage caused by gum disease. Now that is a whole lot of grapefruit, but even eating one each day can go a long way towards improving your overall oral health. Grapefruit inhibits those nasty free radicals we have been telling you about. Gum disease is the major cause of tooth loss. When you have gum disease, that bacteria can travel throughout the body, and even cause heart disease.

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bottle of grapefruit essential oil - beauty treatment

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4. Natural Fat Burner

You might have heard about the Grapefruit Diet, but you don’t have to go to that extreme to burn some extra fat. Scientific research shows that this amazing fruit (or the juice from this fruit, if you prefer juice) can help to burn more fat in people than those who do not indulge in grapefruit. How much more fat? In this controlled study, those who ate just half of a grapefruit before each meal lost four more pounds than those who did not eat grapefruit over the 12-week study period. This was without making any other dietary changes. There are not many foods in this world you can add to your diet and still lose weight. Four pounds might not sound like much, but without changing your eating habits, simply eating half a grapefruit before each meal can mean as many as 16 pounds lost every year.

5. Prevents Painful Kidney Stones

If you have ever had a kidney stone, you know the absolutely unbearable pain it causes you. If you haven’t had one, thank your lucky stars! Kidney stones are mostly made from a buildup of calcium in the kidneys. Once you develop one of these stones, it must either be dissolved or passed. One of the active compounds in grapefruit, naringenin, makes grapefruit taste sour but it also prevents the formation of stones in the kidneys. Grapefruits also have high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds which reduce the swelling in the kidneys and also reduce water retention. Drinking one liter of grapefruit juice daily will block the formation of stones. You don’t have to drink this all at once — simply break it up into several cups to sip on throughout the day.

6. Liver Detoxifier

Your liver naturally cleanses and detoxes the body, but what do you do to clean your liver? You can give your liver the help it needs by drinking grapefruit juice or eating some grapefruit. When you detoxify your liver, it improves your overall health and alleviates many of the symptoms of chronic health problems, including chronic headaches; stiff, sore muscles; depression; and chronic fatigue. Toxins are all around us, and in our modern world, it is impossible to avoid them. Help your liver do the best possible job of removing these deadly and cancer-causing toxins by eating a half a grapefruit every single day.

7. Lowers Cholesterol Levels

Studies show that when people consume grapefruit on a regular basis, LDL cholesterol levels (the bad type of cholesterol) can be lowered by as much as 15 percent! In this instance, regular grapefruit was shown to be more effective than the red grapefruit, although scientists don’t fully understand why. Triglyceride levels were also found to be reduced by as much as 17 percent. These are significant numbers if you are one of the millions of Americans trying to lower their cholesterol levels. By the way, these benefits were seen after only a four-week period! So add some grapefruit to your diet, and lower your cholesterol in one easy step.

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8. Super Charge Your Metabolism

Grapefruit is well-known for increasing your metabolism, which can help you in your efforts to lose weight and have more energy. In combination with a good diet and some moderate exercise, boosting your metabolism can help you lose up to two pounds each week. Perhaps one of the best things about an increased metabolism is that even when you are at rest, your body continues to burn fat and calories. Try adding one grapefruit to your diet each day for a super-charged metabolism that will give you energy to get through the day and calorie-burning power to spare.

9. Protection From Prostate Cancer

Grapefruits are super rich in antioxidants that attack the carcinogens hiding inside the prostate. Studies show that this fruit can even repair damage caused to our DNA by free radicals. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry published a study in 2006 which found that grapefruit repaired damaged DNA inside the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, second only to lung cancer. Speaking of lung cancer …

10. Protection From Lung Cancer

Scientific studies show that this tart fruit is also a terrific way to prevent and fight back against lung cancer. Research shows that by drinking three six-ounce glasses of grapefruit juice each day actually helped to reverse the damage caused by cigarettes and cigars. Grapefruit activates the enzymes that fight back against lung cancer. Red (sometimes called pink) grapefruit has been shown to be the most effective when it comes to providing protection from lung cancer. The high levels of vitamin C in this fruit have also been linked in numerous studies to offer protection from cancer. Naringenin, the compound that makes grapefruit taste sour, stimulates the repair of DNA in mutated cells, which can protect the body from cancer.

Please note that grapefruit is well-known for causing serious drug interactions with some prescription medications. Always speak with your doctor before adding grapefruit if you have any health problems, or if you are taking any prescription medications.

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