fbpx
(08) 9375 3735 info@bodymbrace.com.au

Continuing on with our “we love fruit” series, today we present to you the grapefruit!

Grapefruit is a very refreshing way to start your day although it’s often overlooked due to having a slightly bitter taste. We are very lucky here in Australia as this fruit is available almost year round.

Grapefruit is a Vitamin C powerhouse. We all know how important Vitamin C is for our immune health. One grapefruit can give you 128% of your recommended daily intake! Vitamin C is also known to help relieve symptoms of inflammatory conditions. If you suffer from asthma or arthritis, try upping your Vitamin C intake with one of these yummy treasures.

Grapefruit has extremely strong antioxidant properties with scientific studies showing that two of its phytonutrients, lycopene and liminoids, can help battle cancer and minimize tumor growth. Citrus anti-carcinogens have plenty of research behind them showing that they can help fight against terminal diseases.

If weight loss is your goal, grapefruit is the perfect fruit to include in your diet. It is low in calories with approximately 40 calories per 1/2 a grapefruit. It also has one of the lowest glycemic loads of all fruit, meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar. Like anything else in the world, the sugar content of fruit will not contribute to fat gain unless you eat 5 in one sitting. This can contribute to going over your energy intake for the day leading to fat gain.

Have you ever seen anyone binge on fruit? Could you see yourself binging on grapefruit? Probably not. Have you ever seen anyone binge on pure sugar lollies? Highly likely. As mentioned in the banana post, the sugar in fruit metabolizes differently to table sugar. People will binge on lollies because it goes straight to the liver to process, spikes your blood sugar and releases dopamine that makes you feel good. That dopamine release is addictive. The habit is addictive. It’s the metabolic and hormonal response to overconsumption of the addictive kind of sugar that gives you that out of control feeling. It also has to do with habits that you have created, and allowing your brain to remember that sugar spike that made it feel soooooo good last time it was depleted of whatever it needed to survive. It’s your responsibility to stop those habits and recognize what makes you feel good, and what makes you feel like crap!

So go ahead and enjoy some natural sugars with confidence – half a grapefruit with your breakfast on its own or tossing some chunks in a salad is ??. Squeeze out some of the juice for a light, tangy salad dressing. Yummm! ?