Let’s face it: grapefruit juice is less popular among consumers than orange juice. Maybe the reason is that the sour-sweet grapefruit juice gives a light bitterness, while orange juice doesn’t.
However, it is grapefruit juice that has more benefits than many other juices. All you need to do is to learn how to choose and drink it right because this kind of juice is very useful.
For example, you can mix it in different proportions with sweet fruit juices, dress salads with it, make some alcoholic cocktails on its basis. Pink grapefruit juice is sweeter, and light-colored fruit juice (made of yellow and white fruits) is more sour.
Grapefruit juice: What does it offer?
Grapefruit juice contains a lot of useful elements since it is a bit similar to lemon juice, which is not surprising — grapefruit is obtained by hybridizing an orange with a lemon.
There are a lot of vitamins, and vitamin C takes about 45% of the overall content of vitamins. Grapefruit also contains vitamin B, vitamins A, E, PP, P, K, beta-carotene, organic acids; proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, water; calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.
Grapefruit contains the alkaloid quinine, which was considered in the past as the only effective remedy against malaria. It exerts calming and anti-arrhythmic effects, lowers the temperature, improves appetite – a lot of travelers visiting tropical countries, used quinine to protect themselves from malaria and fever.
Grapefruit juice: Properties and Treatment
One more amazing substance that can make grapefruit juice a remedy of the 21th century – is the flavonoid naringin. It is naringin that gives bitterness to grapefruit, but it also helps your immune system fight against the virus of serious disease – hepatitis C. If naringin is combined with traditional treatment, hepatitis C has not chances to become chronic. A derivative of naringin – naringenin prevents the virus to be released from infected cells and harm the health.
Thus, the severity of the disease is greatly reduced, the treatment is facilitated, and there is a greater chance to treat hepatitis and to avoid the danger of chronic disease. Taking into account that nowadays there are approximately 500 million people infected with hepatitis C in the world, grapefruit juice becomes a true savior, since it is widely available around the world.
Grapefruit juice is useful in case of hypertension treatment, it reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood. Teeth and gums become healthy, stones are withdrawn from the kidneys, the immune system is strengthened… And the list of benefits goes on and on.
In a case of flu and colds grapefruit activates the body’s defensive strengths, but it is even better to use it as a prophylactic means – then colds and flu will become a rarity for you.
Grapefruit juice: Use
Grapefruit juice improves appetite and digestion and burns the excess fat, helps to reduce body weight. Moreover, it withdraws excess fluid and toxins from the body and improves the function of the stomach and liver. Grapefruit juice exerts a slight diuretic effect. So those who drink this juice regularly will not gain any extra weight.
Memory and attention are improved thanks to grapefruit juice, and the cardiovascular system becomes less prone to diseases. Grapefruit juice, especially red, contains a lot of flavonoids that prevent the formation of deposits on the walls of blood vessels and inhibit the activity of free radicals: so you will not suffer from atherosclerosis, and blood cells will receive protection against oxidation — you should eat just two grapefruits per day, or drink their juice. Therefore, grapefruit juice is also useful for people with a predisposition to varicose veins.
Grapefruit juice helps people who are constantly exposed to physical and mental stress: the substances contained in it, strengthen the nervous system, eliminate lethargy and drowsiness.
Grapefruit has a low amount of calories, but a lot of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, so it is a good option for a variety of diets, as well as for use after sports and exercises – it helps to recover much faster and prevents the development of chronic fatigue syndrome.
If you regularly drink orange and grapefruit juices, it significantly reduces the risk of osteoporosis – the conclusion that U.S. researchers have recently reached.
Grapefruit juice is also used in the treatment of the stress effects: it soothes and refreshes, relieves the oppressed state by boosting the immune system weakened after extreme stresses. For pregnant women, grapefruit juice is a safe natural antidepressant.
Grapefruit juice: Production
During the process of grapefruit juice production, the so-called blending technology (when juices are mixed in a certain way) is frequently used. This allows not only to improve the taste quality of juice, its color, and flavor but also to prevent the proliferation of harmful microorganisms – such as when to a low acid juice more acidic are added.
In general, grapefruit juice is produced in the same manner as orange one. It can be made at home with fresh and ripe fruits.
The quality of juice depends on the choice of juicers. Juicers with cutting blades can oxidize the juice, and it can not be stored even for a day – it is necessary to drink it immediately. There are juicers that crumple fruit pulp – so you obtain more juice, it saves maximum efficiency, and it can be stored up to a day – in the refrigerator.
So it is better to choose more expensive, high-quality juicer and get the most of a grapefruit. A few minutes a day spent on making juice will be justified by a perfect state of health and getting rid of many health problems.
Of course, juices, store-bought, are less useful, but it is better to drink them than not drink it at all (if you cannot get freshly-squeezed one).
Grapefruit juice is used both for disease prevention and in their complex treatment. In the case of digestive disorders, poor work of intestines and hypertension it is recommended to drink 2 cups of juice with 1 tbsp. honey 30 minutes before meals; in the case of insomnia – 0.5 cups before going to bed.
Concentrated grapefruit juice relieves persistent constipation, and the juice diluted with water exerts a slight choleretic effect. The grapefruit peel contains vitamin E, which makes our teeth and gums healthy. It is recommended to soak the fresh grapefruit peel for 20 minutes in water, and then drink the water.
It is not advised to consume grapefruit juice by people who suffer from gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. And you should not drink it along with sweet fruits and starchy food.
Grapefruit juice for face, body, and hands
Grapefruit juice, due to the high content of nutrients, is perfectly suited for the home cosmetic facial masks. Such masks moisturize the skin, tighten it and slow down the aging process.
Mix 1 tbsp. of juice with the same amount of sour cream, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and egg yolk; grind it all. In order to make it thicker, you can add black bread soaked in milk. The mask is applied to the face for 20 minutes, then wash it off and apply a nourishing cream.
You can massage your hands with a grapefruit peel before using cream – the hands will become smoother, and the nails – stronger. The skin on the elbows will become soft if you put slices of grapefruit on it for 10 minutes a day.
A bath with grapefruit will make the skin smooth and its flavor will help to relax after a working day.
Grapefruit juice for weight loss
So how does the grapefruit juice help with weight loss? According to researches, it improves the appetite that should cause the opposite effect. However, grapefruit perfectly helps to burn fat, resulting in weight loss.
It also withdraws excess fluid from the body, activates the liver and stomach. All these processes are very important for weight loss. Quite often excess weight is the result of a malfunction of the digestive system. With the light diuretic effect caused by this juice, excess water is removed from the body.
Also, grapefruit is an excellent dietary product. After all, containing a low amount of calories it has a large supply of vitamins and minerals. It tones and invigorates the whole body. It is recommended to drink grapefruit juice after exercises, it gives strength and replenishes nutrients used by the body.
So, grapefruit helps to burn extra kilos in a short period of time, as it activates the digestive system. It is the catalyst of metabolic processes in the body, exerts a beneficial effect on intestinal function and reduces the absorption of fats. By sticking to a grapefruit diet for a week, you can lose up to 10 pounds of excess weight. However, the diet cannot last longer than that.
Making of grapefruit juice for weight loss
It is better to make the juice from grapefruit at home. Of course, the juice can be bought ready at the store, however, it will contain much fewer nutrients, and may include preservatives, colorants, etc. It is better to take fresh fruits for making juice. It is best to drink freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a day.
So, have you ever tried to make some grapefruit juice at home? How did it go?
