Grapefruit Health Benefits, Side Effects and Recipe Ideas
The other day at the market I found this gorgeous giant grapefruit. What stood out most was that vibrant orange and reddish hue on the skin. (Typically the grapefruits I find here are either a pale orange, almost borderline yellow tone, or the occasional green colored ones.) The large size is another factor that made this one stand out, it was nearly the same size of a Pomelo fruit. Upon picking it up the sweet smell confirmed it was indeed a grapefruit. Unfortunately the store’s sign didn’t specify neither the origin or variety of grapefruit, regardless it came home with me.
The near perfection of this fruit told me I must photograph it and share it with you. Not knowing what to expect when I peeled it, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, bright, pink color inside. The taste was sweeter than normal grapefruits, and each segment was so juicy that each bite was difficult to keep from running down my fingers and hands.
When I eat grapefruit I like to limit the bitterness by eating as little of the pit and skin as possible. I first peel it, pull away a little segment, then peel away the skin in the segment to reveal the juicy bits inside. The taste is sweeter with a hint of typical grapefruit tartness.
After I ate nearly halve of this giant grapefruit I took to the internet to do some research. It turns out this grapefruit variety is called Ruby Red. Apparently these red, or pink, grapefruits are milder and sweeter than the other types. I certainly hope I can find them again because I prefer the taste of these to the yellow and with varieties.
Grapefruit Health Benefits
Many people associate grapefruits with a healthy breakfast and waistline. Below are some grapefruit health benefits and information that my research yielded.
– high in Vitamin C, great for fighting off a cold, flu and sore throats
– high in calcium, folic acid, phosphorus, and potassium
– a certain compound in grapefruits held reduce cholesterol
– safe for diabetics, grapefruits help reduce starches and sweets in the system.
– helps promote digestions by increasing flow of gastric juices
– it is said to help promote sleep and alleviate insomnia
– pink and red varieties are said to fight tumors and have strong antioxidant properties.
– prevent kidney stones
– protect against colon cancer
– In a study, the bioflavonoids found in grapefruit was discovered to even halt cancer cells from spreading in breast cancer patients, by ridding the body of excess estrogen.
– grapefruits are widely used in weight loss diets because it is believed they containing a fat burning enzyme.
– grapefruits are low in calories and high in fiber
Grapefruit Side Effects
Though generally grapefruits are thought of as healthy and safe for consumption there are a few side effects that everyone needs to be aware of. In large quantities grapefruit can have unhealthy side effects, so if you’re on the “Grapefruit Diet” do consult your physician. If you don’t consume them often then there is really no need for concern.
– Grapefruit interacts with many medications, like the effectiveness of contraceptives, antibiotics, cholesterol medications…etc
– They can also reduce the effectiveness of some drugs, and exacerbate the side effects of others. For a full list read this article.
– grapefruits can contribute to blood clots
– in large quantities they can contribute to stomach upset and nausea.
– Due to it’s acidic nature, grapefruits can overtime wear away tooth enamel.
Grapefruit Recipes
Now that you know the good and bad about grapefruits, you should also know these yummy ways of enjoying an occasional grapefruit treat. As you will see grapefruits are not just a breakfast food.
– Grapefruit & Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Chasing Delicious
– Broiled Grapefruit Recipe by Never Enough Time
– Grapefruit Margarita Recipe by Sweet Life
– Grapefruit, Avocado, and Shrimp Salad with Balsamic Reduction by The Kitchen Paper
– Earl Grey and Pink Grapefruit Tart Recipe by Tartine and Apron Strings
– Grapefruit Honey Curd Recipe by Kitchen Simplicity
– Marinated fennel and grapefruit salad recipe by Five and Spice
– Citrus Beef Skewers Recipe by Tara’s Multicultural Table
– Grapefruit Beer, have you tasted it?
Or of course, you can always just enjoy a juicy grapefruit all it’s own.
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Gorgeous clicks! I really love th elast one…
Grapefruits taste so good.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!:)
I love using grapefruit in recipes, it lends great flavor!
That’s great, glad to hear you enjoy the flavour.
I love grapefruit. I eat it raw with nothing added, although I know lots of people who put salt or sugar on it or broil it.
I’ve never tried adding salt, that sounds great. Thanks for the tip Lisa!:)
Beautiful photos..and a very informative piece too!
Well done..as always~
So gorgeous..mother nature sure knows what she is doing…
Creating fruit for you to photo:)
I owe a big thank you to Mother Nature, don’t I? Thank you Monique:)
I have seen Ruby Red juice but never saw one, it is gorgeous. I have never been a fan of eating a grapefruit…except with lots of sugar lol. Funny how many side effects it can have. I knew about the meds but some are new to me. great pics.
I haven’t seen the juice but would really love to. Hehe, my husband doesn’t like it even with sugar added. Thank you Evelyne!:)
What a gorgeous presentation for the star of this post – the Grapefruit :)
I’m also happy to learn about it’s star qualities like the numerous health benefits.
I love the pictures Nancy, so elegant and classy, great post!
Thank you so much Daniela!:)
G’day Nancy! I LOVE grapefruit recipes!
Love your photos and every time I experience, they do please!
Cheers! Joanne
Thank you so much Joanne!:)
Terrific post, Nancy. Great info, great links to interesting recipes, and astonishingly gorgeous photos!
Thank you so much Victoria:)
Great information Nancy. I didn’t know all those health benefits but was aware of some of the bad reactions to specific medications. Thanks for sharing this and all those recipes.
Hi Vicki! I had no idea about the adverse effects on some medications, good to know. Thank you:)
Thank you for enumerating the adverse side effects the fruit can have, first of all! Many people do not realize and get in trouble . . . I love the fruit on occasion, but we surely do have different looking ones in Australia – much flatter, rounder and oft pale yellow in colour. I eat them for taste but am aware how healthy they can be . . . oh to keep away from drugs and be able to eat everything! Which always comes first: the chicken or the egg . . .
That’s too bad that you don’t have this variety there. I would love to tell you where this one came from, but there was no information. Yes, that would be nice to not need drugs and only eat the food we want without any effects. Thank you Eha!:)
Gorgeous photos, you’ve really capture the essence of grapefruit! :)
Thank you so much Laura!
I Nancy. Lovely photos, you clever thing. I didn’t realize grapefruit could cause such havoc. I don’t really eat it as it is a bit acidic for me but it does go well with fennel and fish.
Hi Tania! I need to try the fennel and fish pairing — sounds lovely. Thank you so much:)
Nancy, these photos are just gorgeous – I ADORE the light.
Thank you dawling!xx
I too enjoy grapefruit…raw or in baked goods. They are so delicious!
That’s great Angie:)
Great process photos!
Thanks!
Gorgeous pictures! And great info too – but the pictures make the post. Thanks.
Thank you John!
Ruby red grapefruit are my favorites!!! Now I’m craving one big time!!!! Beautiful photos, my friend.
Thanks so much amiga:)
There are very few things much tastier than a sweet and tart grapefruit! Love them! Your pictures are lovely!
Glad you do MJ, thank you:)
I love your clicks. I’m really glad you wrote the good and bad about Grapefruit. I remember a friend of mine went on a grapefruit diet, and she messed her system up, we are glad she’s ok now though.
Ash
Oh wow, I’m glad to hear she is okay now. Who knew something like fruit could be so bad — yet another reason not to do any fad diets. Thank you Ash:)
Before reading I was about to exclaim that it looks like a pomelo. ^.^ Oh what a gorgeous grapefruit type. We have a young tree here and right now I just hope it’s the ruby one as you explained above. =D
Grapefruit Beer. really?
How lucky of you, I hope you do too. Yep, beer! It sounds strand but was quite good. Thanks Helene:)
There are so many citrus fruits to know about! Thanks for sharing the info. Beautiful clicks :-)
Thank you Taruna!
Nancy… you are Good!! You can even make peeling a grapefruit look sexy and beautiful!! I can almost hear the burlesque music in the background.
Now me peeling a grapefruit is a scarey thing… I get juice all down my finger and hands. :)
Haha, next time I peel any fruit I’m going to picture the music and your comment.:) Well, some might find your peeling sexy, hehe. Thanks Ramona!xx
That’s interesting because I sent my husband to the store to get me some oranges the other day and he came back with exactly these grapefruit. The looked just like big oranges and inside they were pink. I thought they could be a special brand of orange but then I bit into one and I knew immediately they were grapefruit.
Lovely photos!
Wow, really? Then I wonder if mine was imported from New Zealand. I hope you enjoyed the grapefruits. Thanks, Suzanne and I hope you’re feeling good.:)
Gorgeous photos! I especially love the pile of peel in the last shot. :)
Thanks so much Kiersten!:)
Hi Nancy, thanks for sharing the grapefruit benefit. Love the pictures, very well taken. I’m impressed.
Best regards.
Hi Amelia, thank you so much!:)
Some of those recipes look really enticing. I can’t believe you’ve never had a Ruby Red before! They’re all I used to eat before moving to the land of pomelos.
I know, I couldn’t believe I’d never seen or eaten one. Pomelos are next on the list.
Hmmm…. I’ve never seen a grapefruit quite like that. I generally find grapefruits a bit too tart for my taste, but if it’s milder and sweeter than most, this might just be a variety that I will like!
It’s the first of it’s kind I’ve ever seen, Frank. This one was milder and sweeter so you might want to give it a try. Thanks!
Great photos again.. Is it possible to write the settings details how you took the grepafruit’s draamtic photos. :) I love spotlight..Darkness at the background.. and light only on the fruit ( one spot) what do you use to get this look please . Thank you….