Is it Good to Eat a Grapefruit on an Empty Stomach?
We often talk about the benefits of eating certain foods on an empty stomach, such as a clove of garlic or a glass of warm water with lemon. In this sense, there are scientific reviews that identify them as natural remedies that help purify our bodies. Today, we want to talk about the benefits of taking a grapefruit on an empty stomach just after waking up.
There are many people who usually include this fruit in their breakfast and eat it on an empty stomach, hoping to shed a few pounds.
But does it really work? Is grapefruit really suitable for burning fat? Is it good to eat grapefruit on an empty stomach?
We’ll explain in this article!
Is it good to have a grapefruit on an empty stomach?
Of course, grapefruit is an excellent way to start the day. If we eat it on an empty stomach, it can bring us certain benefits just at that moment when our stomach is empty. Next, we’ll explain why.
1. It purifies the blood
Having a grapefruit for breakfast is a healthy way to start the day. Although its sour taste may make us uncomfortable, various analyses indicate that its pulp contains natural treasures that will help us to purify and strengthen our bodies in the first hours of the day.
In fact, if we consult the nutritional information of this food, we can see that it’s an important source of vitamins, folic acid, and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
2. It protects your heart
Having a grapefruit a day offers your body a whole cocktail of vitamins and minerals. Moreover, studies such as the one carried out by Gorinstein and colleagues show that thanks to its active ingredients, grapefruit consumption can reduce total cholesterol by 15.5% and triglyceride levels by 17.2%.
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The redder the grapefruit, the more benefits it will bring, as this indicates a higher concentration of antioxidants.
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3. It can help accelerate your metabolism
As you can see, grapefruit has many vitamins and very few calories. In addition, it has diuretic and depurative properties. Thus, it’s a simple and effective way to eliminate toxins.
Plus, thanks to its high level of antioxidants and vitamin C, it will help to increase metabolism. What’s also very interesting is that it can help to stabilize your level of blood sugar and insulin, according to some research.
All this means that your breakfast will come along with a healthy and adequate supply of vitamins to start the day out right!
Is grapefruit an effective remedy for weight loss?
However, it’s important to know that grapefruit by itself does not help you to lose weight. With this, you have to take into account some important things:
- It helps to eliminate liquids and purify the body, but by itself, it will not cause you to lose fat. That is, you should never follow restrictive diets based on this fruit to lose weight. It’s a supplement to your diet to make it healthier and more balanced.
- There’s no clear evidence that grapefruit burns fat. However, what it does is to intervene in your metabolism. Thus, if you follow a proper diet low in fat and do physical activity, then you’ll lose weight.
In other words, don’t think that grapefruit alone is going to make you lose those extra pounds. Have a grapefruit in your breakfasts or before your meals, but do not base your diet exclusively on this fruit.
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How can I consume grapefruit in the morning?
There are very healthy options that can give you several ideas on how to prepare grapefruit to consume it in the morning and make it more pleasant for you. Be ready to take some notes!
- You can prepare a natural juice. However, remember that to fully benefit from this fruit you have to consume its pulp, not just its juice. Avoid packaged juices, they usually include preservatives and sugars, which will no longer be a healthy drink.
- Cut a grapefruit in half and add two tablespoons of honey on top (never add white sugar).
- Cut half a grapefruit into small pieces and put it in a bowl with white or Greek yogurt.
- Cut a grapefruit in half and drop two crushed walnuts and some almonds on top.
- Prepare a bowl with half a grapefruit and three diced strawberries.
Consume this fruit as you wish, but always remember that it’s best to consume the pulp to benefit from all its components. Always choose a natural grapefruit, and the redder it is, the better. There are more antioxidants!
The best option is to eat a medium or half a very large grapefruit. Always eat it in the morning. Your body will thank you!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Hodges, R. E. & Minich, D. M. (2015). Modulation of Metabolic Detoxification Pathways Using Foods and Food-Derived Components: A Scientific Review with Clinical Application. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/760689
- Gorinstein, S., Caspi, A., Libman, I., Lerner, H. T., Huang, D., Leontowicz, H. et al (2006). Red Grapefruit Positively Influences Serum Triglyceride Level in Patients Suffering from Coronary Atherosclerosis: Studies in Vitro and in Humans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf058171g
- De la Garza, A. L., Etxeberria, U., Lostao, M. P., San Román, B., Barrenetxe, J., Martínez, J. A. Milagro, F.I., et al (2013). Helichrysum and Grapefruit Extracts Inhibit Carbohydrate Digestion and Absorption, Improving Postprandial Glucose Levels and Hyperinsulinemia in Rats. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf4021569
