Grapefruit Goodness

Grapefruit Goodness

You have probably heard many people claim that different fruit or vegetables are “superfoods”, but one fruit you can be sure fits in this category is the grapefruit. With a range of health benefits and different varieties they will keep you going strong all year round, just like they do!

There are many things known about the grapefruit, but one thing that remains unknown is whether it was created deliberately or by accident. As a hybrid fruit, the grapefruit species was made from combining the pomelo fruit and the orange sometime after 1693 when pomelo seeds were brought from the East Indies to the West Indies. The grapefruit is botanically considered a berry, and its name comes from the way it grows — like grapes, the grapefruit also grows in bunches. When it was first discovered it was known by a few names, such as the “forbidden fruit” and the “smaller shaddock”, the latter name coming from the captain of the ship who transported grapefruit seeds to the area.

Here in Australia we are one of the leading grapefruit cultivators, along with Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, South America, South Africa, Israel, and India. These areas are well suited to growing grapefruit orchards as they need warm climates to stay healthy and produce the best fruit. When grapefruits are ripe they will be firm and springy, and although colour is not always the most direct sign of ripeness they usually are fully ripened when their peel has turned mostly yellow or pink. One of the other ways to judge the perfect grapefruit is through its weight, as the heavier this fruit is the juicier it will be when eaten.

These days the grapefruit is mostly known for its health properties, being one of those useful fruit which has been heralded as a “superfood”, as it contains many great health benefits within its pink, red, or white interiors. Not only is it 92% water, which gives it the ranking of having one of the highest water contents of any fruit, but the average grapefruit also contains about 72mg of Vitamin C which amounts to 120% of your recommended daily intake — a little extra doesn’t hurt!

Although the flesh of the grapefruit is the most appealing with its bright colours and juicy appearance, make sure you don’t throw away the white flesh around it (known as the pith) as this has its own health benefits. The white pith of a grapefruit is rich in antioxidants, fibre, and also nutrients, and has the added benefit of making you feel fuller for longer which is helpful in creating a natural appetite suppressant.

The grapefruit is a fruit that is eaten and loved internationally, but also tends to be used in a variety of ways. In Haiti the locals commonly make juices or even jams from their grapefruits, while in Costa Rica’s city of Atenas they cook the flesh of the fruit to remove its sourness and create delicious sweets. There have also been some strange medical practises associated with the grapefruit, such as eating it to help recover from a fever, drinking its juices as a liver tonic, and also placing it on external wounds as a natural antiseptic!

The options available to you with this fruit are endless, as are the many health benefits that come with them, so do yourself a favour today and grab a grapefruit from your local greengrocer today!