photo by Steven Fernandez

Grapefruit seems to be one of those foods that you either love, or hate, or force yourself to eat because it is supposedly so good for you. But maybe if you actually knew why it is so good for you, you’ll stop having to force feed yourself this superstar fruit.

If you think Vitamin C is all that grapefruit has to offer, you are SO wrong. While it does provide a good amount of your DV for vitamin C, you actually get more than double the amount of that vitamin C from kiwi than from grapefruit. Among the more outstanding qualities of grapefruit, are the lycopene and antioxidant content as well as soluble fiber.

The pink and red colors of grapefruit come from a phytonutrient called lycopene. Why do you care? Lycopene boasts anti-tumor activity, which means that this powerful nutrient has an outstanding ability to help fight free radicals, which damage cells. Studies have shown that men who frequently consume lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, apricots, pink/red grapefruit, watermelon), are 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those who eat less lycopene-rich foods. If you dont like eating the fruit, drink the juice. Grapefruit juice is among the highest ranked juices in antioxidant capacity.

Grapefruit also contains pectin, a form of soluble fiber. FYI, soluble fiber works to lower cholesterol levels (see: http://www.nutritionforthenaive.com/2009/03/how-to-combat-cholesterol/) And not only will red/pink grapefruit reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, it also lowers triglycerides.

Tme to swap your morning glass of OJ to grapefruit juice. Or even better, add half a grapefruit to your breakfast routine.

You know the fruit is a big deal when they even make a specially designed spoon just to eat it.