Could Grapefruit be the New Lemon Water?

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Is Grapefruit The New Lemon Water? That’s the question I keep asking myself.

Every day we consume so much media focused on our health whether we want to or not. Unfortunately, social media has made it incredibly easy for people to spread false information about our health and nutrition.

One thing I hear often online is lemon water. Warm lemon water, lemon water before bed, lemon water when you wake up, lemon in your tea, and the list goes on. Influencers will say it helps them stay skinny, get great skin, and even fix digestion problems. I started to wonder about these “benefits” of lemon water influencers were preaching about. Is drinking lemon water beneficial for your health?

*Reminder, I’m not a dietitian*

I started to research and found that the benefits in lemons were in the actual lemon, not the juice. Last time I checked, not a lot of people eat the actual lemon once it’s in their water.

So after throwing away and burning all my lemons – no I’m kidding, I love lemons. But while reading about lemons, one particular fruit kept coming up in comparison, grapefruit.

I found that grapefruit has higher levels of these “benefits” so many influencers were preaching about. Not only would adding grapefruit to your water be good for your health but you can actually eat grapefruit and get even more benefits than you would a lemon.

Lemons vs. Grapefruit

Pectin

Lemons contain a soluble pectin fiber that helps in digestion when it expands in your stomach which could make you feel full longer. Many people believe that drinking lemon water or even warm lemon water helps with weight loss because of the pectin levels found in lemons. EXCEPT, you have to eat the entire lemon to get any of those benefits and unfortunately, Pectin isn’t even found in lemon juice. Additionally, no research studies have been done to prove that drinking warm water is better than cold water. Overall, grapefruit has 2x more fiber in it than an average lemon but both are found in the fruit, not the juice.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is vital to our immune system and helps our bodies grow. Lemons have 31 mg of vitamin C which is 51% of your daily intake. A grapefruit however contains 77 mg of vitamin C which is more than double what a lemon has. Therefore infusing grapefruit into your water can provide more vitamin C than lemon would.

If you are not convinced yet, here are 3 additional benefits to the beautiful pink fruit

1.) The Effects of Grapefruit on the Skin

Vitamin C is great for the skin because it helps in the creation of collagen, the protein that provides the structure of your skin. A study was done in 2017 on The Role of Vitamin C in Skin Health that concluded that vitamin C plays a huge role in the growth of healthy skin. Not only did the study show that eating fruits and vegetables with vitamin C was positively associated with good skin health but it also showed that signs of aging in the skin can be decreased with the intake of vitamin C in your diet. Makes sense why there are so many vitamin C serums on the market these days.

2.) loaded with Antioxidants

Grapefruit and grapefruit peels contain high amounts of antioxidants which are great for reducing inflammation in your body. The fruit also contains 2,270 micrograms of lycopene, an antioxidant. A 2016 study looked at data for nearly 50,000 men and found that high consumption of tomato sauce (which contains lycopene) saw a lower risk of prostate cancer in life.

3.) Does it Support Weight Loss?

Many studies have been done on whether grapefruit can help you lose weight. One study found it doesn’t help at all but it may play a role in improving blood pressure and lipid (fat) levels in the blood which are associated with obesity. Studies haven’t been done to directly associate weight loss and grapefruits but overall it’s low in calories and full of nutrients so eating the fruit is beneficial to your diet and lifestyle.

Is Grapefruit The New Lemon Water?

Results

The more I researched the benefits of grapefruit the more convinced I am. I’ve begun adding grapefruit to my water and eating slices regularly and absolutely love it. I feel less bloated and find myself reaching for my water bottle more than ever. Although it’s no miracle fruit, neither are lemons. In the age of the internet and social media, we all have a personal responsibility to think critically about the information we consume. When it comes to health information coming from non-professional sources in the media, my belief is you can be inspired by those healthy people but you should be sure to get your facts from the professionals.