Grapefruit juice: a true health boon

Grapefruit juice is a particularly popular drink in summer because it is refreshing and rich in vitamin C. Among other things, it boasts countless beneficial properties for the body and is also low in calories, as long as no sugar is added. You can easily prepare it at home using yellow or pink grapefruit, depending on your preference. Let’s find out its main properties and benefits, as well as its contraindications.

The properties of grapefruit juice

Grapefruit is a true health boon. It’s low in calories, but still contains a lot of nutrients: 100 g provides 26 Kcal of which 9% is protein and 91% carbohydrates.

The fruit is also rich in beneficial properties. Here are the main ones:

• It has antioxidant properties due to the content of glycopene, limonene, naringenin
• Stimulates immune defenses due to the high content of vitamin C
• Protects the heart from ischemic damage
• According to recent studies, it is able to reduce hunger, which is why it is often recommended during weight-loss diets
• Grapefruit is also believed to be useful for lowering insulin levels
• It helps reduce cholesterol due to the fiber it contains

If you want to benefit most from the properties of grapefruit, it is ideal to consume it fresh in the morning or as a snack, eating the segments directly.

Benefits of grapefuit juice

This juice is rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, but also in potassium and pectin, and again in fibers and antioxidants. In short, a true fruit of well-being that, among other things, contains a lot of water providing great hydration and proving useful also to moisturize the skin and purify the body.

Since it is low in calories, (around 26 kcal per 100 grams), with a reduced amount of sugar, it’s an ideal juice even when one is on a diet. The whole fruit is a resource: the peel is rich in limonene and the seeds are often used in phytotherapy.

Grapefruit juice and drugs

According to several studies, grapefruit tends to slow the metabolization of some drugs causing them to accumulate, with potential harmful side effects. These include cholesterol-lowering drugs, some sedatives and antibiotics, to name a few.

The most common interactions are with:

• statin
• corticosteroids
• anti-rhythmics
• hypopressors
• drugs for transplant rejection
• antihistamines
• immunosuppressants
• calcium channel blockers

Sometimes excessive consumption of juice, or fresh grapefruit segments, is associated with:

• tiredness
• headache
• gastrointestinal distress
• cardiopathologies
• nephropathies

Pink grapefruit juice

Pink grapefruit juice is made from the pink grapefruit, a variety of the yellow grapefruit with lighter rind and flesh of this color. Compared with classic grapefruit, pink grapefruit is richer in anthocyanins and carotenes,including lycopene. The flavor is also slightly different, it is in fact less bitter and somewhat sweeter, a characteristic due to the higher concentration of sugars. It represents an ideal alternative to yellow grapefruit if you do not like its particularly sour taste.

Contraindications

In general, grapefruit juice has no particular contraindications, but be careful about drinking it if you are taking medication. According to several studies, it may in fact increase the bioavailability of the active ingredient of the drug, thus creating overdose. These side effects can occur regardless the way you consume it, whether in beverage form or in wedges. It is best to consult with your doctor to see if it can therefore interfere with the medications being taken.

Does grapefruit juice make you lose weight?

In itself the juice, as indeed the fruit itself, does not make you slim. Nevertheless it can prove very useful during a vitamin C, which counteracts, among other things, bloating and heaviness.

We already mentioned that it is a low-calorie beverage (as long as it is homemade avoiding added sugars) and the fibers contained in the fruit on the one hand detoxify the body, on the other hand help to satiate quickly by slowing the absorption of sugars and fats.

Grapefruit juice in pregnancy

Grapefruit juice can be drunk during pregnancy since it is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, all of which are valuable for the pregnant woman. As for quantities, it is always best not to overdo it and seek advice from your doctor.

Homemade grapefruit juice

Preparing homemade juice is very simple, in fact all you need to do is squeeze the grapefruits exactly as you do with oranges adding a little water. Should the juice be too bitter, add 1 teaspoon of raw cane sugar and you will see that the flavor will be much more pleasant. Alternatively, if you do not want to add sugar, we recommend using pink grapefruit instead of yellow.