On the eve of holidays, especially New Year's, the popularity of a citrus increases many times. These fruit appropriate fit into any holiday table and become one of jewelry of any banquet. Along with oranges, tangerines and lemons some feasts do not take place without fragrant and juicy grapefruit. Despite its prevalence many even do not guess that grapefruit is the real vitamin source which is capable to affect the general state of health of the person well. And today we will try to reveal a secret of this fruit, to define, than it after all is useful to human health and also to reveal the main contraindications for its application in food.
Where grapefruit grows
This fruit is an evergreen citrus plant, it is from group of the Lesser Antilles that are in the Caribbean Region of the Atlantic Ocean. In this region in the 18th century the hybrid of a pomelo and orange with characteristic bitterish smack was for the first time found.
Long time fruit remained not studied, however by the beginning of the 19th century began to speak about it widely as its wild-growing grades already at that time everywhere met on the lands of Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas and the neighboring territories.
Whether you know? Grapefruit was for the first time revealed and described in 1750 on the island of Barbados thanks to the priest by the name of Griffiths Hyuges. However for that time the naturalist called the fruit as forbidden fruit opened for them.
New fruit instantly got to fall in love practically all population of the Caribbean Region, and its active cultivation in cultural conditions from this point began. Later seeds were transported by the American seafarers on the territory of Florida where active cultivation of a plant began. However for that time fruit was not popular with farmers of Florida therefore many hesitated on its mass cultivation.
The first serious nursery of grapefruits appeared in 1870 then active gaining of the American market of valuable agricultural plants by it began. By 1910, fruit began to be grown up everywhere in the southern part of North America, and from this point it became true commercial culture. In the same time it was revealed that the fruit grows not only in tropical, but also in colder regions then grapefruit began to be cultivated commercially and in more northern areas of the USA. By 1960 the USA became main the exporter of grapefruit in the world, and the geography of its cultivation extended also on the territory of Mexico, Jamaica, Israel. By 1980, fruit reached Cuba, Argentina, Cyprus, Morocco. Today the USA, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, Jamaica, China, Brazil, the Republic of South Africa are considered as the main centers of production of grapefruit.
Whether you know? Grapefruit (in translation from English — grape fruit) received such name because its fruits grow so closely to each other that remind brushes of large grapes.
Caloric content and chemical composition
Grapefruit is the richest with various useful substances with a citrus fruit.
Its structure contains huge amount of vitamins (And, B1, B2, B3, B9, C), macrocells (calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus) and minerals (iron, iodine, manganese, cobalt, zinc, fluorine, copper).
Besides, fruit is considered also one of the most low-calorie as in its 100 g only about 35 kcal contain. The nutrition value of grapefruit is high, in 100 g of fruits contains:
- 0.9 g of protein;
- 0.2 g of fats;
- 8.7 g of carbohydrates;
- 1.4 g of cellulose;
- 0.6 g of pectin;
- 1.3 g of organic acids;
- 0.5 g of ashes.
Besides, It should be noted that this fruit is rich with various essential oils, phytoncides, glycosides, cinchonic acid and beta carotene.
We advise to read about structure, advantage and harm of fruit for a human body: bananas, kiwi, mango, feijoa, durian, unaba.
Than grapefruit is useful to an organism
This fruit belongs to some of the most useful products for a human body. Its daily use promotes strengthening of immunity, decrease in excess weight, fight against inflammatory processes in a mouth, to clarification of a liver, acceleration of metabolism and many other. Let's consider in more detail, than after all grapefruit both for women's, and is useful to male health.
Zhenshchin
Daily consumption of grapefruit by women promotes favorable impact on work of a thyroid gland and its general hormonal background. It gives the chance to normalize a menstrual cycle, and with it and work of all reproductive system. Consumption of grapefruit promotes also improvement of brain activity, thanks to it at women the memory improvement is observed, the fatigue decreases and the immunity to long depressions is developed.
Learn more about the vitamins necessary for health of the woman and also for immunity, the best work of a brain and improvement of memory.
Muzhchin
This fruit is also useful to male health, as well as to women's. The main positive impact of this fruit on an organism of the man consists in high anti-sclerous effect. It is known that the main enemy of the vascular system of the stronger sex are cholesteric plaques. These formations strike practically all vessels of an organism, up to bodies of an urinogenital system.
Read also about influence of vitamins and minerals on potency and male health.
Active consumption of grapefruit even throughout the short period of time gives the chance to fix this problem and as result, to increase potency and also a libido. Besides, this fruit will be useful to male health and during age changes in a reproductive system (so-called men's climax) as the best means to a lowering of arterial pressure.
Whether you know? The biggest grapefruit in the world was grown up by American J. Uillington from Arizona in 1984. The man managed to cultivate a fruit weighing 2.966 kg (the record is not broken to this day).
How to choose sweet grapefruit upon purchase
So, we already learned what represents grapefruit, and than it is valuable it a fruit to our health. Therefore further we should understand how after all to choose the best fruit in supermarket. In spite of the fact that most of us considers this process simple, in practice it turns out that the fruit chosen by us far does not meet our flavoring expectations. To choose a ripe sweet fruit it is necessary to draw the attention of everything to several its features. Quality fruit always differs in a thin, smooth peel, without wrinkles and rough structure. To the touch the fruit has to be elastic, but soft, without any dents or failures.
Further it is necessary to estimate a peel shade: often, the bright orange peel with characteristic sites of reddening is sign of a ripe and sweet fruit. Estimate fruit weight, it has to be the heaviest, it will demonstrate that before you a juicy fruit as dry pulp does not differ in a uvesistost.
It is important! It is no secret that most of farmers process a citrus special medicines for increase in their term of realization. Therefore to secure itself against excessive amount of these substances, choose fruits with an opaque peel, but not as glossy as the glossy reflection is a sign of carefully processed fruit.
As is and that it is possible to make of grapefruit
The correct consumption of grapefruit as full-fledged dish differs from our traditional understanding a little. To eat this fruit according to all norms of etiquette, it needs to be cut in half, further on a half of a fruit to fill salt or sugar to taste. After that the dessert spoon accurately withdraws fruit pulp, passing white walls of segments. At will some culinary specialists recommend to spray such dish white or red wine. For convenience it is possible to make an incision slightly segments, directly on a contour of a white thin skin. But the most popular way of eating of fruit is nevertheless its division into segments. For this purpose grapefruit is cut in half then each half is cut on separate segments. Further from each segment the peel is cut off, only after that fruit is ready to the use.
It is possible to use this fruit and in combination with many other food. Lately various dishes and grapefruit desserts which differ not only in spiciness, but also quite original form gain huge popularity. However before starting culinary experiments, it is important to remember the correct combination of products.
Grapefruit with vegetable and butter, cream, tomatoes, a citrus, pomegranate, a cranberry, grapes, apples, pear, plum, apricots is ideally combined. It is also admissible to combine this fruit with all sweet fruit, dried fruits, starchy vegetables (beet, carrots, horse-radish, backs of parsley and a celery, pumpkin, vegetable marrows and bush pumpkins, a cauliflower), greens, sour-milk and seafood.
But it is not recommended to combine a fruit with meat, fish, a bird, leguminous, confectionery, grain, potatoes, milk and eggs as it will lead only to burdening of activity of digestive system.
Important! Most of culinary specialists do not recommend to use grapefruit together with the white thin skin enveloping it segments as it also gives to a fruit the well-known slightly bitter taste.
Let's give several examples of the tasty and useful dishes prepared with use of this fruit:
- salad: cut small a fruit segment then mix them with arugula or salad at choice, add a little feta cheese, walnuts and Provencal gas station for more spiciness;
- salsa: cut small grapefruit, caramel onions, halapenyo, and carefully everything mix avocado, a lime. It is possible to serve such snack on crackers, or to use as salad;
- shrimps salad: mix in equal quantities the boiled cleaned shrimps, grapefruit and croutons. Add the cut egg, salad, hard cheese and fill ingredients with mix of sour cream, mustard and juice of a lemon;
- easy fruit dessert: mix small cut orange, grapefruit, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, fill mix with mint syrup and decorate with mint.
How to store in house conditions
Everyone can create ideal conditions for storage of this fruit. If you plan to regale on it for a week from the date of purchase, then it can be stored also at the room temperature. To keep it for longer time, the fruit should be turned in papyrian paper and to put in the fridge. In the cool place, at a temperature about +10...+14 °C the fruit, depending on ripeness level, can be stored up to 2-3 months.
Contraindications and harm
Despite enormous advantage for a human body and the huge vitamin charge, grapefruit nevertheless has a number of restrictions for the use. First of all, the majority, both nutritionists, and physicians, do not recommend this fruit at:
- any sort allergies to a citrus;
- individual intolerance of separate components;
- during use of medicines (tranquilizers, antidepressants, medicines which promote regulation of warm activity, decrease in cholesterol, pressure).
Learn how to distinguish and overcome an allergy.
Besides, it is worth remembering also that it is necessary to limit grapefruit at:
- problems with tooth enamel as aggressive acids in juice of fruit can damage it even more;
- pancreatitis, aggressive sour juice can damage mucous;
- cholecystitis, colitis and problems with a liver as the fruit can make the oppressing impact on the struck bodies;
- arterial hypertension as grapefruit promotes increase in pressure.
Important! Consumption of grapefruit is most strictly forbidden at application of medicamentous therapy with participation of a ritonavir, nimodipin, vinkristin, warfarin and fluvastatin.
In spite of the fact that grapefruit is known to mankind not so long ago, this fruit is one of leaders in cultivation volumes in the market today. And it not for nothing — this gift of the nature can not only please with unique flavoring feelings, but also present the real bouquet of important vitamins, minerals and other substances. But nevertheless this product should be used with care as often its excessive use can become the cause of allergies or irritations of mucous membranes.