One morning as I was cutting my daily grapefruit, a thought popped into my head “why exactly do I eat this every morning?” At some point in my life, someone told me eating half a grapefruit with your breakfast is good. I never really knew why but I guess I thought oh, it’ll speed up my metabolism.
But why?
I realized that a lot of my healthy eating habits are just things I do because I’ve been told they were healthy but I don’t really know the benefits behind it. For example, why is brown rice so much better than white rice? What about white potatoes vs. sweet potatoes? I want to get to the bottom of this so I can start eating more intentionally and understand why I am putting certain things in my body.
I talked to my friend, Courtney Ferreira MS, RD, who works in Baltimore as a dietician. I figured, she has to know the answers. Surprise surprise, grapefruit doesn’t have magical properties and I have been suffering through the bitterness every…single…day.
She told me, “the concept that is speeds up your metabolism isn’t really warranted.” She went on to tell me what any citrus fruits are good because of the vitamin C and therefore anti-inflammatory properties–which is great to start your day with. She also mentioned, “citrus fruits are a bit lower in sugar than starchier fruits like an apple or banana so you get full and get energy without having a giant dose of carbs.”
She went on to tell me what any citrus fruits are good because of the vitamin C and therefore anti-inflammatory properties–which is great to start your day with. She also mentioned, “citrus fruits are a bit lower in sugar than starchier fruits like an apple or banana so you get full and get energy without having a giant dose of carbs.”
So there is some rhyme or reason to this whole grapefruit thing! Overall, I learned that starting your morning off with any fruit is great. Thank goodness because grapefruits are currently out of season and I can’t handle the bitterness.
After chatting to Courtney about grapefruit, I asked about the best places to get legitimate information on food and health–since so much of it out there is BS. Unfortunately, she let me know that although it is best to use research, “a lot of stuff isn’t proven in science.” So, people can say it may help you but nothing’s for sure.
It makes sense. Plus, all of our bodies are different and digest foods different. One food may be “magical” for me but cause you to break out in hives. It’s all a learning process, people, but I am determined to get to the bottom of the most popular health and wellness trends. #yourewelcome