Grapefruit
The peak season shines down on us from January through about March or April for Grapefruit. This is the time it is at its juiciest and sweetest. And sweet grapefruit is! Citrus growers over the years have improved the varieties they plant, lessening the characteristic grapefruit bitterness and leaving many of the seeds behind. Pink and red grapefruit outsell their paler counterparts.
Oddballs such as oroblanco, Ugli fruit and pommelos have become more widely available. Developed in the 1950's, oroblancos are a cross between pommelos and grapefruit. They have pale yellow skin and juicy, sweet flavor. Ugli fruit are a cross between grapefruit and tangerines. They are cursed with an unattractive bumpy rind, but blessed with sweet yellow-orange fruit. Pommelos are giant, thick-skinned grapefruit-like fruit. Compared with standard grapefruit, they have a drier, less acid taste.
Grapefruit for Weightloss?
According to researchers at Scripps Clinic in California, eating half a grapefruit before each meal may help you lose weight -- up to one pound a wekk -- even if you change nothing else about your diet. The study's author, Ken Fujioka, MD, says a compound in grapefruit helps regulate insulin, a fat-storage hormone. Anything that helps lower insulin can help people lose weight. Grapefruit appears to be one of those foods. Suggestion to work grapefruit into your diet: Peel and segment; cut into chunks and add to spinach salad. It's also a great companion with shrimp or peeled, sliced jicama.
Grapefruit for dessert?!
Yes, Oroblancos are truly THE
"Dessert Grapefruit"! Oroblanco, which means "white gold"
in Spanish, is a cross between a Pummelo and a grapefruit
developed in the 1950s. With a yellow skin, Oroblancos
have a sweet and juicy grapefruit flavor without the bitterness
or acidity.
Nutrition
Grapefruit Sections; 1-cup: Fresh grapefruit sections from California or Arizona, whether pink, red, or white, have about 85 calories, 1 gram of protein, and about 3 grams of fiber. Grapefruit sections from Florida have 69 to 74 calories.
The carbohydrate content varies between 17 and 22 grams, while the fat content is negligible.
Red and pink grapefruit shines with its approximately 596 I.U. of vitamin A. The white grapefruit is much lower in vitamin A with about 23 I.U.
Grapefruit has a full range of B vitamins with the exception of vitamin B12 and contain about 28 mcg of folic acid.
Grapefruit sections are a good source of vitamin C ranging from 79 to 88 mg.
Grapefruit offers plenty of calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as trace amounts of iron and zinc.
The grapefruit membranes are a good source of pectin, a soluble fiber helpful in reducing cholesterol.
Grapefruit Juice; 1-cup: Canned grapefruit juice has about 100 calories and 1 to 2 grams of protein. Most canned grapefruit juice is sold with the pulp removed, resulting in a loss of fiber. The carbohydrate content of the juice is similar to the grapefruit sections with 17 to 22 grams.
Pink grapefruit juice supplies 1087 I.U. of vitamin A, while the white provides a minimal 25 I.U.
With the exception of vitamin B12, the juice swells with B vitamins with 10 mg of thiamin, .05 mg of riboflavin, and .49 to .57 mg of niacin. Folic acid content is about 25.7 mcg, while vitamin C ranges from 72 to 93.9 mg.
Calcium content varies from 17.2 to 22.3 mg, and potassium offers 378 to 400 mg. Iron and zinc are present with zinc providing 12 to 22 mg and iron at .05 mg.
See also: Grapefruit Facts
Recipe: Ambrosia Crepes
2 oranges
2 oroblancos (grapefruit), peeled and sectioned
1 pummelo (grapefruit), peeled and sectioned
2, 8-ounce containers light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
8 crepes, at room temperature
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Halve oranges. Grate peel from one of the orange halves;
reserve grated peel. Squeeze out juice from one orange
half into a food processor or blender container. Peel and
chop remaining orange halves; place in a medium bowl
with chopped oro blanco and pummelo grapefruit sections.
Toss together gently.
To same food processor or blender container, add the reserved
grated peel, cream cheese and brown sugar; cover and process
until well blended. Fill each crepe with some of the fruit mixture;
top with a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle on coconut;
roll up crepe. Place in a microwave-safe or ovenproof dish; spoon
on remaining cream cheese mixture and coconut. Microwave on
high for 30 seconds, or heat through in 350-degree
oven for ten minutes.
Recipe makes eight servings.
Print just this recipe. (New window)
Recipe: Oroblanco Sorbet
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 Oroblanco grapefruit, cut into halves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes. Chill in
the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mixture is close
to room temperature.
Grate 1-teaspoon of grapefruit peel from one of the grapefruit.
Cut all the grapefruit into halves and squeeze the juice. Pour
the juice through a strainer into a large bowl. You should have
about 1-3/4 cups juice. Stir in the cooled sugar syrup, grapefruit
peel and lemon juice.
Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to
manufacturer's directions. Serve, or freeze in a tightly
sealed freezer container until serving time.
Recipe makes four servings.
Tip: To make this ice cream without an ice cream maker, freeze
the fruit puree in a shallow metal pan until firm. Break up the frozen
mixture with a fork. Beat and electric mixer until fluffy. Cover the
mixture and freeze again until firm. You may repeat the freezing
and beating steps for a smoother, finer texture. Let stand 15 to
20 minutes to soften before serving.
Print just this recipe. (New window)
See also:
Belly Bytes Healthy Citrus Recipes
Grapefruit Sparkle
Orange Grapefruit Fizz
Print Page 
Back to Index 
Email this Page!
