Grapefruit juice: a tropical healer or a "vitamin bomb"?

Grapefruit is a unique hybrid plant that originated in wildlife without the intervention of biologists. The pioneers of this tropical fruit called it a "small sheddok" and "the forbidden fruit of Barbados".His homeland is considered to be India or South-East Asia.

Grapefruit under its thick skin combined the beneficial properties and taste of orange and pomelo. An unusual taste, combining sweetness, bitterness and acid, allows the use of this citrus in different dishes, but most often fruits are eaten raw, and also squeezes out grapefruit juice from them.

How to cook? How to drink?

Preparation of grapefruit juice does not take long if you use a special citrus juicer or blender. If you need to clean the citrus to put it in the device, do this by carefully cleaning not only the fleshy skin, but also removing the white partitions - they give the finished beverage a characteristic bitterness, since they contain the flavonoid narginin. You can also squeeze the juice manually. To do this, you need to wash the fruits and cut them in half, then squeeze the juice into a glass or ceramic dish of the appropriate diameter. Drink a freshly prepared drink right away, as this is a perishable product.

Like any citrus juice, a freshly squeezed grapefruit drink is very useful for the body, and its bitter aftertaste gives it a piquancy

We list some useful tips that should not be neglected if you want to feel the full benefit of grapefruit juice:

• freshly squeezed juice is taken half an hour before admissionfood, or an hour later, it is unacceptable to drink their food, tablets;
• for preventive purposes for the improvement of the body it is enough to drink half a glass of juice( 100-120 ml) up to three times a day;
• to blunt characteristic bitterness it is possible, having added a spoon of honey in a ready drink;You can also mix grapefruit juice with freshly prepared juices of sweeter fruits - orange, apples.

Enjoy, but be careful

The content of vitamins and trace elements in grapefruit juice is not so great when compared with the juices of other citrus fruits( only 1-2% of the whole daily rate), but these substances are in a form that is easily digested. The advantage of juice from grapefruit is the saturation of organic acids, flavonoids, essential oils and other useful ingredients that provide a full vital activity of the body. For example, scientists found that this fruit is rich in antioxidants and substances( about 50 compounds) that fight cancerous growths and other serious diseases.

Grapefruit juice is a reliable ally in the struggle for well-being

The healing properties of grapefruit: health benefits

In the absence of contraindications, grapefruit juice can be taken to alleviate the symptoms of various diseases:

• fever, cold( antipyretic properties, fortifying effect);
• dental diseases;
• diabetes( increased insulin action, reduced sugar);
• insomnia, nervous tension, overwork( essential oils, vitamin B normalize the nervous system, relieve fatigue);
• liver disease, cholelithiasis( choleretic action);
• heart and vascular disease( clears the vascular walls from cholesterol and strengthens them);
• diseases of the genitourinary system( cleans, relieves inflammation).

"Bitter Truth" about grapefruit

The content of unique useful substances, unusual aroma and characteristic taste made grapefruit juice a favorite of gourmets. However, its effect on the body is quite intense( apparently, therefore, the grapefruit was called the "vitamin bomb"), and therefore, when using it, one should be careful, beware of allergies. You need to know in detail the characteristics of your body in order to weigh the benefits and harm from consuming grapefruit juice. For example, 100 ml is enough to get half the necessary daily intake of vitamin C - that means, you should not drink more than a glass of juice. It is not recommended to use it daily, it is better to pause for 2-3 days.

We note a number of contraindications for the intake of this citrus drink:

• diseases of the digestive tract, increased gastric acidity;
• acute stages of cholecystitis, hepatitis;
• hypertension;
• sensitive tooth enamel;
• reception of contraceptives;
• pregnancy, breastfeeding.

Advice: for chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract during the period of remission, it is desirable to dilute the sour juice of grapefruit with pure water or hips infusion in a ratio of 1: 1 or 2: 1.

In addition, this drink can adversely affect the health of people who regularly take medication( antibiotics, statins, antidepressants and others).This is due to the fact that grapefruit juice blocks the absorption of certain medications, and as a result, they not only do not have a therapeutic effect, but also accumulate in the body, and this threatens with overdose and poisoning. Therefore, if you take a pill, you should not drink this juice for at least 6 hours.

The video at the end of the article details the question of why drugs are not acceptable and the juice is consumed from grapefruit.

Grapefruit juice in dietetics

This drink is not only rich in valuable trace elements, but it also speeds up the process of metabolism in the body, therefore it is popular among those who appreciate their health and fight for a beautiful figure. What are the useful properties attracted the attention of nutritionists and how can you use grapefruit juice for weight loss?

Note the most significant points:

• stimulation of the proper functioning of the stomach and intestines;
• elimination of toxic substances, acceleration of metabolic processes, strengthening of immunity;
• regulation of body fluid, "fat burning" effect;
• blunting the feeling of hunger.

The dieter needs to remember how useful grapefruit juice is, and by all means introduce it into your daily diet. This low-calorie product( total 43 kcal per 100 ml), consisting of 90% of water. You should drink 2-3 times a day before meals for half a cup( about 100-150 ml) of this refreshing drink. Well, if you can prepare juice with pulp - so the body will additionally get useful fiber.

It is useful to mix juices, prepare grapefruit-based cocktails

Here are a few recipes for juices, smoothies and cocktails that will help bring the body into tones:

• grapefruit and orange( 1: 1 or 1: 2) or lemon( 2: 1);
• grapefruit and apple( 1: 2);
• grapefruit, celery stalk, a slice of pineapple, 1 tsp.natural honey;
• 6 sheets of spinach, 150 ml of grapefruit juice, 40 ml of pure water, two oranges, 150 g.pineapple, half avocado;
• pink grapefruit, 100 ml of cranberry juice, one lime, ice;
• grapefruit, a quarter of pineapple, half a teaspoon of maple syrup;
• grapefruit, half a liter of chilled green tea, 1 tsp.maple syrup, 1 teaspoonfinely grated ginger;
• grapefruit, lemon, 4 green apples;
• grapefruit, half mango, lemon, 1 tbsp.oat bran.

Tip: weight loss with the help of grapefruit juice will be more effective if the caloric content of the daily diet does not exceed 800 kcal, and from dishes to exclude table salt.

If it is reasonable to approach the organization of a diet, then with the help of grapefruit juice, the benefits of which are obvious, you can put in order the digestive system, cleanse the liver and intestines. But before using the dietary properties of fruit, you need to undergo a checkup and get a consultation of a gastroenterologist.