My first experience with grapefruit took place while I was visiting my great-grandparents when I was very young. The pink fruit was sliced in half and placed in a bowl at the breakfast table. My gentle and reserved grandfather sprinkled some salt over the triangular segments before cutting them with a small knife. I had never seen a giant pink orange before, never seen one cut horizontally, and certainly never tasted one with salt. 

I tried to hide my wonder, afraid of appearing ignorant. But grandpas have a sixth sense about some things. A generally quiet man, he placed a segment on my plate without a word. I assumed that meant I was to eat it, so I did. “Whoa,” I exclaimed, breaking the silence with a pucker. A small smile drew across his kind face as he explained, “That’s a grapefruit,” and served me a few more slices to try.

Do you recall the first time you tasted a grapefruit? Compared to an orange, it’s more tart and can even be a little bitter. In my home, we eat grapefruit strategically, cutting away the bitter membrane from the sweeter flesh. To enjoy a sweeter grapefruit experience, you can do the same, or look for the sweeter Ruby Red and Rio Red varieties. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised when our children all enjoyed one of these varieties and happily ate the whole fruit. 

Grapefruit is packed with nutrients. Unlike most other citrus fruits, grapefruit provides vitamin A, which is important for eye health. It also acts to support the immune system and decrease inflammation. Grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C and fiber as well as a number of other health generating phytonutrients. While some credit grapefruit with helping them lose weight, most research in this area is inconclusive. A general diet high in plant-based fibers as a whole is much more predictive of aiding weight loss than any single food alone. 

A warning: Grapefruit has more drug interactions than any other known food. What does this mean? Well, grapefruit has the ability to turn off the enzymes that break down drugs in the small intestine and liver so that more of these drugs pass into the bloodstream than is normal. This can cause some serious side-effects. More than half of the commonly prescribed drugs have a food and drug interaction with grapefruit. So, avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice if you are on any medication that cautions against eating grapefruit. If you are unsure, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. 

You may need to stick with oranges, limes, and lemons for your citrus fruit options. 

For those who can safely enjoy grapefruit, here are some fun ideas to change things up:

• Try eating it in a fruit compote with other citrus fruits, like oranges. This can help balance out the tart grapefruit with a sweeter fruit.

• Serve it on a green salad paired with pomegranates. This makes a wonderful green and winter fruit salad.

• Grapefruit juice is also a popular way to get the nutrients found in grapefruit. I would recommend using a brand with no added sugar. 

Enjoy grapefruit while they remain in season, typically between November and March. We should see grapefruit on grocery store shelves during these months. Take advantage of the ripest options to taste the very best of grapefruit goodness.