Varieties ~
The best grapefruits are grown in Florida and Texas.  For juicing purposes, grapefruits with a red-pink meat, such as the Ruby Red and Star Ruby, are best.

Key Benefits~
Fresh grapefruit is low in calories and is a good source of flavonoids, water-soluble fibers, potassium, vitamin C, and folic acid.  Grapefruit, like other citrus fruits, has been shown to exert some anticancer effects in human population studies as well as in animal studies.  Grapefruit pectin has been found to possess cholesterol-lowering action similar to that of other fruit pectins.

Recently, grapefruit consumption has been shown to normalize hematocrit levels.  The hematocrit refers to the percentage of red blood cells per volume of blood.  The normal hematrocrit level is 40%-54% for men and 37%-47% for women.  Low hematocrit levels usually reflect anemia.  High hematocrit levels may reflect severe dehydration or an increased number of red blood cells.  A high hematocrit reading is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, because it means that the blood is too viscous (thick).

Naringin, a flavonoid isolated from grapefruit, has been shown to promote the elimination of old red blood cells.  This prompted researchers to evaluate the effect on hematocrit levels of eating a half to one grapefruit a day.  As expected, the grapefruit was able to lower high hematrocrit levels.  However, researchers were surprised to find that it had no affect on normal hematocrit levels and actually increased low hematrocrit levels.

This balancing action is totally baffling to most drug scientists, but not to experienced herbalists, who have used terms such as alterative, amphiteric, adaptogenic, or tonic to describe this effect.  Many foods as well as herbs seem to possess actions that are not at all consistent with modern understanding.  For example, many natural compounds in herbs and foods appear to alter body control mechanisms to aid in the normalization of many of the body's processes.  When there is an elevation in a certain body function the herb or food will have a lowering effect, and when there is decrease in a certain body function it will have a heightening effect.  Grapefruit appears to have this effect on hematocrit levels.

(Grapefruit has proved to be one of the most valuable fruits as an aid in the removal or dissolving of inorganic calcium which may have formed deposits in the cartilage of the joints, as in Arthritis, as a result of an excessive consumption of devitalized white flour products.  Fresh grapefruit contains organic salicyclic acid which aids in dissolving such inorganic calcium in the body.)

(It is also rich in other fruit acids and sugars.  It contains nearly 87% water and is rich in potassium and other alkaline elements.)

(Sugar should never be added to grapefruit because the acids cause a fermentation of the sugar in the system and the fruit will then tend to have an acid, instead of an alkaline reaction in the body.)

(When grapefruit or its juice has been canned or in any way preserved, the value of the organic elements is lost and the acids are converted into inorganic acids of little value to the body.)

Selection~
Fresh grapefruits of good quality are firm but springy to the touch, well shaped, and heavy for their size.  Grapefruits that are soft, wilted, flabby, or have green on the skin should not be consumed.

Prescriptions & Grapefruit~
If you are washing down prescription pills with anything but a glass of water, you should be aware that grapefruit juice might be dangerous because it can raise blood concentrations of the drug beyond the dosage requirement.  Grapefruit juice, unlike other citrus juices, inhibits one of the body's intestinal enzyme systems.  As a result, it can significantly raise serum levels of some prescription drugs, including those that treat heart disease and control blood pressure.  This interation between grapefruit juice and certain drugs is particularly worrisome among the elderly, who commonly take prescription medications and may be more inclined to drink calcium-fortified grapefruit juice.  Thus, this information should be brought to their attention by informed friends and family members.

Always ask the pharmacist about any potential adverse food and drug interactions you are about to take.

Thanks to~
(The Vegetarian Guide to Diet & Salad)
by Dr. N.W. Walker, D.Sc., pg. 107.

The Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality
by Michael T. Murray, N.D., Jay Kordich, pp. 93-95.

Roland Flores, R. Ph., Village Oaks Pharmacy, San Antonio, TX.