The Advantages Of Squeezing Your Own Grapefruit Juice

If you squeeze your own grapefruit juice, you have the advantage of knowing what’s in it and the ability to ensure that it doesn’t contain any additives. You are able to make certain that it’s 100 percent juice and doesn’t contain added sugars that could contribute to weight gain. You also have the advantage of being able to ensure your juice contains pulp -- a good source of fiber.

No Added Sugar

If you make your own grapefruit juice, you can be certain that it contains no added sugars. Sweetened grapefruit juice not only contributes extra calories to your diet, but may also put you at risk for cardiovascular disease. Added sugar can increase your triglycerides, a type of fat that clogs your arteries. The American Heart Association recommends you limit your intake of added sugars to 5 percent to 10 percent of your daily calories -- about 100 to 200 calories based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. Sweetened grapefruit juice contains nearly 28 grams of sugar per cup. This amounts to about 107 calories from sugar.

Fiber

If you squeeze your own grapefruit juice, you can make sure to include plenty of pulp, which is a good source of fiber. Many commercially manufactured grapefruit juices remove most, if not all, of the pulp. For instance, a whole white grapefruit contains approximately 2.6 grams of fiber, while a cup of commercially sold white grapefruit juice contains 0.2 grams of fiber. Benefits of fiber include reduced blood pressure, reduced low-density lipoprotein -- LDL or “bad” cholesterol -- and a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Fiber also has the effect of filling you up for a longer period of time, meaning you may eat less and lose weight.

Considerations

When you squeeze your own grapefruit juice, you end up with a chemical-free beverage. You don't have to worry about ill effects from added preservatives. Lack of preservatives also means, however, that your grapefruit juice can swiftly develop harmful bacteria. When you make grapefruit juice, only make as much juice as you can drink right then. Stored juice will quickly go bad and become unhealthy to drink.

Drug Interactions

If you take any medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can safely combine them with grapefruit. Grapefruit prevents your body from properly metabolizing some drugs. Drugs affected by grapefruit can build up in your system, putting you at risk for serious, even life-threatening side effects. Drugs known to interact adversely with grapefruit juice include birth control pills, statins, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers and immunosuppressants. This is only a partial list. Side effects of combining grapefruit with some medications include blood clots, heart attacks and kidney failure.