Science fiction novelist Douglas Adams once wrote, "Life is like a grapefruit. It's orange and squishy, and has a few pips in it, and some folks have half a one for breakfast." Grapefruits range in color, from orange to pink to red, and you may add sugar or an artificial sweetener to this fruit to enhance its flavor. Whether this practice adds to Adams' simile about life is not known, although this fruit is a healthy addition to the diet for most people.
Basic Nutrition
A 1-cup serving of grapefruit contains 76 calories. If you do eat grapefruit for breakfast, you need more calories for a healthy breakfast. Ideally, your breakfast consists of 350 to 500 calories to get your day moving appropriately. Grapefruit contains little fat -- 0.2 g per serving. You'll take in 19.2 g of carbohydrates, which accounts for a small portion of the 225 to 325 g of carbs you should eat each day, as well as 1.3 g of protein. Your body requires up to 56 g of protein each day.
Fiber and Sugar
One serving of grapefruit offers up 2.9 g of fiber, a nutrient you need to regulate your bowel health. If you consume fiber at recommended levels -- 25 to 38 g per day -- it can also contribute to cancer protection and ward off diarrhea. Grapefruit contains 12.4 g of sugar per serving as well, although the naturally occurring sugars in this fruit should not harm your health like added sugars do. The common practice of adding white granulated sugar or brown sugar can impact your dental health -- added sugars promote tooth decay, so go easy on the sugar or look for natural alternatives, such as honey or agave nectar.
Vitamins and Minerals
Grapefruit serves up a good source of calcium. Each 1-cup serving of grapefruit contains 11.6 percent of the calcium your body requires each day. The calcium in this fruit improves the strength of your bones, although many people -- particularly children and teens -- fail to take in the correct level of calcium, according to KidsHealth from Nemours. You also consume 6.4 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C in a serving of grapefruit.
Considerations
Be wary when eating grapefruit if you take some medications. A study in the July-September 2010 issue of the journal "Revista Medico-Chirurgicala" notes that the juice from grapefruits interferes with some allergy drugs, antibiotics, malaria treatments, HIV medications and other types of pharmaceuticals. Consult your physician about the health risks of eating grapefruit if you take medication.
References
- Calorie Gallery: Pink Grapefruit
- Go Ask Alice!; Breakfast: The First Chance to Fill Your Tank; January 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential For a Healthy Diet; November 2009
- Cleveland Clinic: Be Well eNews; Eating Too Much Sugar? It's Time to Tame Your Sweet Tooth; Melissa Ohlson; December 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Calcium
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