You may have heard this through the grapevine — grapefruit is healthy but not for everyone.
Grapefruit, a citrus fruit, is packed with antioxidants, potassium and fiber, registered dietician Erin Palinsky-Wade, a registered dietitian and author of the “2-Day Diabetes Diet,” told USA Today.
“The combination of nutrients found in grapefruit, as well as the low glycemic index, make it a really well rounded beneficial fruit to include,” she explained.
When something has a low glycemic index it means it’s less likely to make your blood sugar spike.
Fiber
The fiber in grapefruits has a variety of benefits for health, according to Hopkins Medicine.
Fiber can support heart health by reducing inflammation gut health by preventing constipation and encouraging bacterial growth, healthier cholesterol levels by regulating LDL cholesterol and even weight management by helping people feel fuller longer.
Vitamin C
Eating one whole medium-sized grapefruit can give you 100% of your daily vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system and also boosts collagen production for less wrinkled skin.
Hydrating
Grapefruit is also known to make the skin glow because it has a lot of water content and is hydrating.
“When we eat foods that are hydrating, as well as drinking enough water, it tends to make our skin more radiant and glowing,” Palinsky-Wade explained.
Who shouldn’t eat grapefruit?
Grapefruit is acidic and could aggravate symptoms in people with digestive issues like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
People who are suffering from an inflammation of the stomach lining, called gastritis, or an ulcer, a sore that develops on the lining of the stomach, small intestine or esophagus also may want to avoid grapefruit, Hopkins medicine explained.
Grapefruit can also interact with certain medications because it can block an enzyme that helps your body break down the meds.
Those medicines include cholesterol-lowering medicines atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin, the allergy medication fexofenadine, the blood pressure drug nifedipine and the immunosuppressant cyclosporine.
