Nutritional value and benefits of grapefruit

Grapefruit Introduction

Grapefruit, native to the West Indies, is a type of pomelo. It is slightly larger than an orange, and its flesh is divided into three types: white, red, and pink. Its main producing countries are the United States, Israel, Argentina, and South Africa. Among them, the United States ranks first in the world in terms of production. my country has only begun to introduce it in recent years. It combines the advantages of pomelo and sweet orange. With its high nutritional value, it is now very popular in the market. Its fruits have a special aroma, tender flesh, sour, bitter and numbing taste, but comfortable taste. In addition to eating it fresh, it can also be squeezed into juice, jam and fruit wine. In North America, European countries and Japan, it is a must-have fruit and beverage for breakfast in many families. Moreover, about half of the grapefruit in the world is processed into juice. Grapefruits with equal weight, shiny fruit body, thin skin and soft skin are the best.

At present, there are three main varieties of grapefruits commonly seen on the market. The Marsh grapefruit with white flesh, also known as seedless grapefruit, is polyploid, and there are also varieties with red flesh; the Duncan grapefruit with white flesh has larger fruits, thicker skin, more seeds, and slightly bitter flesh; and the Thompson grapefruit with red flesh. In addition, there are varieties with pale yellow or pink flesh or nearly colorless and transparent flesh.

Hypertensive patients often take antihypertensive drugs to eliminate excess sodium in the body and maintain normal biochemical metabolic balance, but at the same time, they often cause the loss of essential potassium in the body. Potassium is very important for maintaining the functions of the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. Grapefruit is a rare fruit that is rich in potassium and almost free of sodium. Therefore, it is the best therapeutic fruit for patients with hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease.

When the human body consumes too much high-fat, high-calorie food, it will have excess nutrition, high blood lipids, and a large amount of lipids, especially low-density lipoproteins, will adhere to the inner wall of the arteries, causing arteriosclerosis, leading to insufficient blood supply to important organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys, causing heart disease or brain and kidney diseases. Grapefruit is rich in pectin, which can reduce the content of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, reduce damage to the arterial walls, maintain blood vessel function, and prevent heart disease.

Grapefruit also contains natural folic acid. Folic acid is not only very important for early pregnancy, but also essential throughout the pregnancy. During pregnancy, as the fetus's body tissues grow rapidly, pregnant women need a lot of folic acid to meet the needs of the fetus. Folic acid deficiency will not only increase the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension and placental abruption, but also cause pregnant women to suffer from megaloblastic anemia, intrauterine growth retardation of the fetus, premature birth and low birth weight of the newborn. Therefore, grapefruit is also the first choice of fruit for pregnant women.

Nutritional value of grapefruit

Pomelo contains valuable natural vitamin P, rich vitamin C and soluble cellulose, and is a fruit with low sugar content. Vitamin P can enhance the function of skin and pores, which is beneficial to skin health and beauty. Vitamin C can participate in the synthesis of human collagen and promote the production of antibodies to enhance the body's detoxification function. It is indispensable for people who want to lose weight.

1. Grapefruit contains vitamin P, which can enhance the function of skin and pores, and is beneficial to skin health and beauty.

2. Grapefruit is very low in calories and is the best choice for people who want to lose weight.

3. Grapefruit is rich in vitamin C, which can prevent dark spots, freckles, eliminate wrinkles, and relieve fatigue. Drinking a glass of grapefruit juice before going to bed can help you sleep, and drinking a glass of grapefruit juice in the morning can prevent constipation.

4. Grapefruit contains the mineral potassium, making it the best therapeutic fruit for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and kidney diseases.

5. Grapefruit contains a special nutrient called natural pectin, which can lower the cholesterol in the blood and cleanse the blood.

6. Eating grapefruit can prevent colds.

7. The natural folic acid contained in grapefruit can prevent anemia symptoms for women who are taking contraceptives or are pregnant.

8. Grapefruit can help the body absorb calcium and iron more easily. At the same time, the natural folic acid contained in grapefruit can prevent anemia for women taking birth control pills or pregnant women.

9. Grapefruit is rich in fiber tissue, which can help keep the stomach open.

Benefits of grapefruit:

1. Used for stomach problems and indigestion. To treat stomachache and abdominal pain caused by cold, take a pomelo (left on the tree, wrapped in paper, picked after frost), chop it into pieces, and a young hen (without internal organs), put it in a pot, add appropriate amount of rice wine and brown sugar, steam it until it is well cooked, and eat it in one to two days.

2. Used for alcoholism, chronic cough, phlegm and asthma. Take pomelo and eat it raw to treat drunkenness. To treat cough, phlegm and asthma, take a pomelo, remove the inner white capsule, chop it, put it in a covered bowl, add appropriate amount of maltose (or honey), steam it until it is soft, take one tablespoon each morning and evening, and mix it with a little hot rice wine.

3. Treat jaundice. In folk medicine, burn 2 grapefruits, grind them into fine powder, and take 6-9 grams after meals, three times a day.

4. For cough with excessive phlegm. Cut grapefruit into pieces, remove the core, soak in wine overnight, boil until soft, mix with honey, and swallow from time to time.

Target Group

It is edible for general population.

1. Don’t eat too much grapefruit as it may increase the risk of breast cancer.

2. Grapefruit is a high-potassium food and patients with uremia should not eat too much.

3. Grapefruit should not be eaten with medicines or hairy crabs.

Dosage and Usage:

Eat raw, mash into juice, boil into soup or steam.

Usage Notes:

It is cold in nature and prone to abdominal pain. People with anemia or excessive phlegm should not eat too much.

Modern research:

Contains grapefruit peel, orange peel, new orange peel, carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sugars, etc.

Pomelo peel has anti-inflammatory effects, protects against virus-infected mice, and can prolong the survival time of mice irradiated by X-rays.

Fresh grapefruit juice contains insulin-like components that can lower blood sugar.

Grapefruit contains many vitamins, especially vitamin C. Therefore, eating grapefruit regularly is beneficial to patients with cardiovascular disease and obesity.

There are so many types of grapefruit, and different grapefruits have different shapes, sizes, flesh, and even colors.

Grapefruit combines the advantages of pomelo and sweet orange and has high nutritional value.