Grapefruit is the fruit of an evergreen tree up to 15 m high, growing in the subtropical belt. This citrus was obtained by randomly crossing other citrus fruits - pomelo and orange. It was first described in the middle of the 18th century by the botanist-priest Griffiths Hughes, who called this fruit "the forbidden fruit". In Barbados, it was called “Little Sheddock” (the pomelo was called at that time), and traders from Jamaica at the beginning of the 19th century gave it the name “grapefruit” from the English words “grape” and “fruit”, meaning “grapes” and “fruit "because these fruits grow in clusters. Let's take a closer look at how useful this fruit is and what you should pay attention to when using it.
Calorie and chemical composition
100 g of raw grapefruit contains only 32 kcal. Its chemical composition includes the following substances:
- water - 90.89 g;
- dietary fiber - 1.1 g;
- proteins - 0.6 g;
- fats - 0.1 g;
- carbohydrates - 8.1 g
Vitamins:- C, 34.4 mg;
- carotenoids - 1.703 mg, of which 1.1135 mg of lycopene;
- A - 0.046 mg;
- B1 - 0.036 mg;
- B2 - 0.02 mg;
- B4 - 7.7 mg;
- B5 - 0.283 mg;
- B6 - 0.042 mg;
- B9 - 0.01 mg;
- E - 0.13 mg;
- PP - 0.25 mg.
Did you know? The carotenoid lycopene, which has a high antioxidant and anticancer activity, in addition to grapefruit is also found in tomatoes (more all of it in tomato paste), watermelons, guave. The recommended daily intake is about 5 mg per day.
What is useful grapefruit
This fruit has an antioxidant, choleretic, diuretic, anti-cancer, immunostimulating action. It contains substances that activate the metabolism, remove cholesterol and slag, stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, lower blood sugar, protect the eyes from cataracts and strengthen the cardiovascular system. Positive effect on the nervous system, gives a good sleep and a good mood.
For the health of women it is also useful to eat viburnum, carrots and pine nuts.
For women
The benefits of this fruit for women are as follows:
- Women who use this citrus look younger. It contains active antioxidants that help fight old age (vitamin C, A, lycopene).
- Helps to keep the shape slim. The use of grapefruit fruits reduces appetite, improves metabolism and removes slags and water.
- Useful in menopause. It relieves pressure surges and hormones, improves mood for women in menopause.
- Eliminates from toxicosis pregnant.
- Pulp, juice and grapefruit essential oil are excellent cosmetics.
For men
This citrus will also be useful to a man's body:
- grapefruit juice increases potency;
- improves the quantity and quality of sperm;
- helps prevent prostate cancer;
- reduces intoxication in case of alcohol poisoning;
- helps get rid of the "beer" belly;
- reduces cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.
Men need to eat walnut, cardamom and horseradish.
Usage features
Before you begin to constantly use the "little sheddok", you must be familiar with its contraindications (they will be discussed below). If you do not have them, you can safely enter it into your diet. But even in the absence of contraindications, you need to know the measure when consuming this product and be more careful about it in some cases. After you have eaten a grapefruit, you should rinse your mouth with water, as the acids in it destroy the tooth enamel.
During pregnancy
Grapefruit can be helpful during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. It helps to combat toxicosis in pregnant women, calms the nervous system, strengthens the immune system and improves the metabolism of the expectant mother. In addition, it serves as a source of vitamins and minerals, has a low calorie content. 
Eating this citrus for breakfast will help combat nausea, and its smell will lift your spirits. Substances included in its composition, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and serve as prevention of varicose veins, and also help to remove the swelling, which often appears in women during this period. But do not eat a large amount of this fruit, it is better to be satisfied with half of the fruit.
Important! You should not get involved in pregnancy with large quantities of grapefruit and juice from it - an excess of vitamin C can cause miscarriage. Even in the use of vitamins you need to know when to stop.This fruit is more useful for pregnant women than other citruses: it causes less allergy, and in terms of vitamin C content it can be compared to lemon. In general, it has a good effect on the general well-being of the future mother. Eating this fruit, it is better to clean it from the bitter film. Although it contains some beneficial substances, it does not have a very good effect on the liver.
Learn how to grow grapefruit.
With HB
When breastfeeding is better to abandon the use of all citrus fruits, including grapefruit, in order to avoid allergies in infants. Big fan of this fruit, you can try to enter it into your diet, but not earlier than the child turns three months. The first time it is better to eat quite a bit of this citrus and carefully monitor the condition of the baby in the first days after consumption. 
Even if no allergic reactions are observed, this fruit should still be eaten by the nursing mother no more than once a week and no more than 300 g at a time. In addition, preference should be given to fruits with white or yellow flesh, and not red. If before the birth of a child you rarely used this product, then for the period of breastfeeding it is better to refrain from it. And if the baby has already had allergic reactions to other products, then grapefruit should not be consumed at all.
When losing weight
"Little Sheddok" is often included in various diets for weight loss. For those who want to lose extra kilograms, it is just a godsend, as there are substances in it that remove toxins, excess water, regulate metabolic processes and suppress hunger. Therefore, grapefruit or juice from it is recommended to use three times a day before meals. The feeling of fullness after taking this low-calorie fruit will not allow a person to eat a lot.
In addition, it improves mood and improves sleep. Those who wish to lose more kilograms should eat this fruit instead of breakfast or dinner. And for lovers of eating a half of citrus eaten at night, it will help to satisfy hunger and fall asleep peacefully. 
With diabetes
Grapefruit is on the list of products approved for diabetics. It is low-calorie and has a low glycemic index - 29. Its use has a good effect on metabolism and reduces sugar levels. If you drink from 100 to 200 ml of juice before meals three times a day, it has a beneficial effect on the health of diabetics. This fruit can be added to salads, it goes well with meat and seafood and can diversify the diabetic menu well.
Important! Before the introduction of grapefruit in your diet, a diabetic should consult their endocrinologist.
From what age can children
Infant grapefruits, like other citrus fruits, are contraindicated because they can provoke an allergic reaction. They are not recommended to give to children who are under 1 year old. If the child has diathesis and other allergic processes, the introduction of this fruit into the infant diet should be postponed until 3 years. 
You can start giving this citrus to children from a small piece of one slice. Of course, the fruit must be washed beforehand, peeled and removed from the used lobule all the films, since they taste bitter and the child may not want to eat it. If after this no allergic reaction has occurred, you can gradually increase the amount of this product. In the event of an allergy should be for some period to abandon its use.
How to choose a ripe grapefruit when buying
To choose a fresh and tasty grapefruit, you need to follow these guidelines:
- Grapefruit is 3 types, differing in color. Red is the sweetest and most juicy, yellow is sour-sweet (it is more suitable for weight loss, it has less glucose), and orange has a sour taste with pronounced bitterness. The brighter this citrus, the more beta carotene it contains. Therefore, it is in the fruit of the red color most useful elements.
- More juicy fruit weighs more.
- The peel of a ripe fruit has reddish spots and more elastic.
- Soft peel with brownish spots speaks of staleness and the process of decay.
- You need to choose a fruit with a matte skin. If it is glossy, then it means that it was treated with a special wax to increase the shelf life.
How and where to store properly
It is best to eat grapefruit in the next few days after purchase. This fruit is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days. Then it loses its flavor and taste, it becomes less juicy. The more ripe the fruit, the less it can be stored. When a grapefruit fruit is already peeled, its shelf life is reduced to 1-2 days.
How to eat grapefruit
When eating grapefruit in food or preparing a salad, drink or jam from it, it is important to quickly and properly clean it. The use of this citrus has its own nuances.
How easy it is to clean
To properly clean this juicy fruit and get rid of bitterness, you need to do the following:
- First, cut around the top and bottom of the skin of a grapefruit so that the flesh is visible.
- Then cut the sides. At the same time, one should try not to damage the flesh strongly.
- With a small, preferably serrated knife, cut the flesh along the grapefruit slices, in the direction from the edge to the central part. At the same time, you need to carefully turn the knife to the right - this will help to clear the film. A little grapefruit pulp will remain on the film.
- After the end of the cleansing of this citrus fruit remain film. With them you can squeeze a little juice and use it for making sauce, masks, etc.
Video: how to cut a grapefruit
What time of day is better
When eating grapefruit, it is advisable to adhere to the following tips:
- It is undesirable to use this citrus on an empty stomach. Due to its high acid content, it adversely affects the gastric mucosa. This is especially prohibited with high acidity.
- You do not need to eat a lot of grapefruits - all is well within reasonable limits.
- When used for weight loss, it should be eaten every day for no more than 21 days. Then a 10-day break is required.
- For slimming, grapefruit is consumed before meals. If there are no diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract, then it is eaten before breakfast. If there is such a disease, it is consumed between meals. In this case, you can make snacks with grapefruit juice.
- For weight loss, you can also prepare for dinner a salad with slices of this fruit. For this purpose, as well as to improve sleep, it will be helpful to eat a baked grapefruit with honey for dinner.
- On the one hand, the juice of this fruit relieves fatigue and tension, so it is recommended for rest. However, on the other hand, it contributes to the development of gastric juice and can increase appetite, as well as the desire to eat.
- It is recommended to use the "little sheddok" 20 minutes before playing sports or 30 minutes after it.
Familiarize yourself with the beneficial properties of such fruits as: lychee, suite, longan, kumquat, actinidia, loquat, jujube, physalis, citron and okra.
What is combined and what can not be eaten
Grapefruit goes well with greens, green vegetables, and if you add it to a salad, olive or linseed oil is the best dressing. Other fruits are well combined with this citrus: lemons, oranges, pineapples, tangerines, limes, apples, pears, grapes, apricots. 
Well suited as lactic products: sour cream, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese. Orange juice, carrot, apple and so on help to remove the bitter taste. It is undesirable to use grapefruit with meat and fish products, peas, beans, starchy vegetables, milk, eggs and nuts.
Important! Grapefruit is forbidden to use with certain medications: anticancer drugs, antibiotics, statins, cardiovascular drugs, painkillers, urinary and so on. It inhibits the impact of such drugs on the human body.
How can be used in cosmetology: recipes for face masks
Grapefruit has found wide application in cosmetology due to such useful qualities:
- it is well suited for oily skin - normalizes the work of the sebaceous glands, tightens the pores on the face, evens out the tone of the face;
- contains a lot of vitamin C, which contributes to the production of collagen, as well as elastin; This, in turn, makes the skin more elastic and smoothes wrinkles;
- whitens the skin and helps fight pigment spots, strengthens blood vessels;
- the content of folic acid helps to eliminate rash, acne, pimples, protects against the negative effects of the external environment;
- moisturizes and nourishes the skin.
With honey
Moisturizing mask: take 1 tablespoon of this fruit, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 egg yolk. All are thoroughly whipped with a spoon and applied to the skin of the face for 20 minutes. After rinse with warm water.
With sour cream
Rejuvenating mask: 1 tablespoon of grapefruit juice, 1 teaspoon of carrot juice and sour cream, 1 tablespoon of rice flour is ground and distributed on the skin of the face, bypassing the eyelid and lips. After 15 minutes wash off. 
Softening and nourishing mask: 1 tablespoon of the juice of this citrus fruit, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sour cream, 1 egg yolk, 20 g of black bread pulp. All this fray until smooth and applied to the face. After 17-20 minutes washed face from such a mask.
With greens
Toning mask: 3 tablespoons of grapefruit juice insist 5 minutes with 4 tablespoons of ground oatmeal and 3 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley. Then put a mask on the face, and after 17-20 minutes - wash off with water.
Did you know? Most grapefruit is grown in China (almost 4 million tons). Then, with a significant margin, lead the United States, Mexico, South Africa and Israel.
Contraindications and harm
Despite the quality characteristics that are useful to humans, grapefruit has the following contraindications:
- Gastritis, peptic ulcer and duodenal ulcer with high acidity. The increased content of vitamin C in this citrus fruit can contribute to an increase in acidity, and this can cause exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.
- Women who are taking contraceptive drugs. This fruit can reduce their effect.
- Grapefruit is incompatible with drugs to reduce pressure, as it prevents the rapid breakdown and absorption of such drugs, and this can contribute to interruptions in cardiovascular activity.
- Liver disease. Sick liver spends a lot of time processing the substances contained in grapefruit, and this leads to an increase in estrogen levels. Such a phenomenon can cause oncology.
- With sensitive tooth enamel.
- It is undesirable to give grapefruit to women during lactation and to children under 3 years old, as it refers to citrus fruits that can cause allergies.
This does not mean that grapefruit cannot be eaten at all in these cases, it is just necessary to reduce its consumption in food. Grapefruit can perfectly fit into almost any diet, it can be used even for diabetics. It will be useful for people who want to lose weight.It is interesting to read about the cultivation of citrus crops in the home - lemon, calamondin, orange tree and mandarin.Its pulp and juice can also be used in cosmetic masks. Grapefruit contains a lot of vitamin C, carotenoids and other substances useful to the human body. But at the same time, it has a number of contraindications and is not combined with a sufficiently large list of drugs.
Reviews from the network:
Hello, I love Grapefruit for its unusual sweet-sour-bitter-sweet taste, and also for the fact that it raises my spirits and relieves fatigue. Yes, this is true, not once noticed such an amazing property of grapefruit.Galinah
//irecommend.ru/content/greipfrut-ne-tolko-vkusnyi-frukt-no-eshche-i-pomoshchnik-v-borbe-s-tsellyulitom-i-vesnushkam
Its properties to quickly restore power after mental and physical exertion are indisputable. In addition, grapefruit perfectly reduces cholesterol and fights with extra pounds.Eugene
//irecommend.ru/content/lekarstva-i-greipfrut-dokazannyi-vred-spisok-nesovmestimykh-lekarstv [/ i]
