What’s So Special About Red Grapefruit?
Who doesn’t love the juicy, sweet/tart deliciousness of a fresh-from-the-grove grapefruit? And to make them even more enticing, these tempting fruits come with flesh in colors to please the eye as well as the taste buds. But are they all the same? Is there any difference between a white, pink or red grapefruit?
A large citrus fruit in the same family as oranges, lemons and the lesser-known pomelo, grapefruits come with pink, white (sometimes called “blond”) and red (also called “ruby”) flesh. However, the outside hue of the grapefruit, it’s skin or “peel,” has nothing to do with its inside: The outside of a grapefruit will be a pinkish or very pale yellow, regardless of the color of its flesh, whether it be a white, pink or red grapefruit.
All of them – white, pink and red grapefruit – come packed with Vitamin C, a well-known powerhouse of nutrition. But in deep pink and red grapefruit, what causes their coloration is also something that puts them a step ahead of the white, or blond, grapefruit. Lycopene, a dietary carotenoid, not only creates the coloration in the pink and red grapefruit we eat, but also fights free radicals better than other common carotenoids found in the typical human diet. Free radicals, as some may know, are compounds that wreck havoc on cells and are held responsible for aging, causing damage to tissue and thought to be responsible for some types of disease.
Another benefit of red grapefruit over its white counterpart lies in red’s ability to better lower cholesterol. A study completed by Israeli scientists at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University showed that red grapefruit lowers unhealthy LDL cholesterol twice as much as white grapefruit. The red grapefruit also decreases triglycerides – which lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke – three times more than the white. Both white and red grapefruit contain excellent fiber content, but the red boasts slightly more bioflavonoids and anthocyanins, which are thought to help prevent cancer.
The bottom line? All grapefruit make a healthy addition to the diet, but choosing red grapefruit makes an even bigger, better contribution toward keeping the body going longer and with fewer negative health results. When selecting, always pick out fully ripe, red grapefruit for the highest concentration of antioxidants.
So if you’ve got a choice, choose red grapefruit to get a healthful boost that’s not only good for you, but makes a downright pretty addition to your menu!
Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves
At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.
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