Day 199

Thoughts: Grapefruit!

"Grapefruit dissolves plaque in the arteries and colon. If you have heart issues, drink 3 big glasses of grapefruit a day! It is like liquid draino for the heart" - says Jinjee and Storm the creators of The Garden Diet and the 21 day Spring cleanse that I begun today - eating only raw foods for 3 weeks :)

There is a lot of grapefruit juicing on this cleanse. So I wanted to find out the low down on the grapefruit, a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit and when found it was named the "forbidden fruit".

Meet our grapefruit friend:

-Grapefruit high in vitamin C and potassium
-A good source of folate, iron, calcium, and other minerals
-Pink and red varieties are high in beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A
-High in fiber, low in calories
-Contain bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals that protect against cancer and heart disease
-Contains the fiber pectin
-The pink and red hues contain the beneficial antioxidant lycopene
-Studies have shown grapefruit helps lower cholesterol
-The seeds have antioxidant
-The low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat
-Inhibits enzymes necessary for the clearance of some drugs and hormones
-Significantly decreases breast cancer risk
-Grapefruit contains large quantities of a simple polyamine called spermidine, which is necessary for cell growth and maturation, and as cells age their level of spermidine is known to fall. Scientists have shown that feeding spermidine to worms, fruit flies and yeast significantly prolongs their lifespan. In addition, adding spermidine to the diet of mice decreased molecular markers of aging, and when human immune cells were cultured in a medium containing spermidine, they also lived longer.
-Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) has been claimed to have strong antimicrobial properties, with proven activity against bacteria and fungi.

Buying
Choose grapefruits that are heavy for their size, quite firm, with tight and shiny skin. Avoid overly soft fruits with dull- colored skin.

Medicinal Value
Grapefruit stimulates the appetite and is used for its digestive, stomachic, antiseptic, tonic, and diuretic qualities.

Grapefruit and Weight Loss
Over the years a number of people have promoted the grapefruit as possessing a unique ability to burn away fat. Grapefruits are a good food to include in a sensible weight-loss diet; a serving contains less than 100 calories, and its high-fiber content satisfies hunger. If you're trying to lose weight, make grapefruit your first course to help prevent overeating. It's also an ideal snack food. It is surprisingly filling!

Grapefruit and Cholesterol Control
Grapefruits are especially high in pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower blood cholesterol.

Grapefruit for Cancer Control
Recent studies indicate that grapefruits contain substances that are useful in preventing several diseases. Pink and red grapefruits are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that appears to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers have not yet identified lycopene's mechanism of action, but a 6-year Harvard study involving 48,000 doctors and other health professionals has linked 10 servings of lycopene-rich foods a week with a 50 percent reduction in prostate cancer.

Other protective plant chemicals found in grapefruits include phenolic acid, which inhibits the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines; limonoids, terpenes, and monoterpenes, which induce the production of enzymes that help prevent cancer; and bioflavonoids, which inhibit the action of hormones that promote tumor growth.

Other Uses of Grapefruit
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory disorders find that eating grapefruit daily seems to alleviate their symptoms. This is thought to stem from plant chemicals that block Prostaglandins, substances that cause inflammation.

Interactions With Drugs and Medicines
Don't mess with the grapefruit! Grapefruit can have a number of interactions with drugs, often increasing the effective potency of compounds. In the field of polyphenolic compounds, grapefruit contains the flavanone naringin, alongside the two furanocoumarins bergamottin and dihydroxybergamottin, which inhibit the protein isoform CYP3A4 predominately in the small intestine, but at higher doses, hepatic CYP3A4 inhibition is present as well. It is via inhibition of this enzyme that grapefruit increases the effects of a variety of drugs by increasing their bioavailability. The effect of grapefruit juice with regard to drug absorption was originally discovered in 1989. However, the effect became well-publicized after being responsible for a number of deaths due to overdosing on medication. Let nature do it's thing - there is no need to use medications - unless you think there is.



If you want to do a spring cleanse and drink lots of grapefruit too then check out The Garden Diet website:

* Everything in this program is delivered to you online in the form of eBooks, emails, online audio, and online videos. There is also a weekly phone call, as well as email and phone support from Jinjee and Storm.

* When you sign up you receive an email with a website address, a username and a password to access your Garden Diet Account.

* From your account you will download all of the eBooks and Videos for this Program. The first eBook "The Garden Diet 21 Day Cleanse Overview" will give you the schedule and instructions for the Program.

* Your materials will include Recipes, Menu Plans, Shopping Lists, Quick and Easy Demo Videos, How-to's, 20 minute body-sculpting workouts on video, full food and exercise schedule leaving plenty of time for work and including 60 minutes of walking daily, an Online Log with Online "Program Pal" Check-Ins, and more!

- 1 hr Q & A conference call each week with Jinjee and Storm

- daily email coaching from Jinjee and Storm

- An assigned "Program Pal" to be accountable to (and for)

- online forum to share stories and get support (and offer support, too!)

* Scientific research shows that people who have a support group or counseling lose three times as much weight as those who go it alone!

For more information go to www.thegardendiet.com/21days
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit
http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h_grapefruit.htm

Challenges: I can say if I can or I can't.

Triumphs: Day 1 on the 21 Day Spring Cleanse of eating only raw foods. I am surprised already at how energetic I feel! I went to bed feeling clear, clean and light ;) I was so impressed with the salads, light, tasty, full of flavours, rich and filling!

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: Orange juice! I juiced 5 oranges. Mmm such a sweet and satisfying way to start the day :)

Lunch: Tabouli. Mmm I had never thought to use herbs as a salad base before! It was delicious! Ingredients: Cilantro (Corriander), parsley, green onions, tomato, avocado, hemp seeds, lemon, olive oil, himalayan salt mmm mmm mmm! Surprising filling, satisfying and the flavours stayed in my mouth for hours after :)

Dinner: Guacamole with Jicama. Ingredients: Avocados, tomato, onion, lemon, salt, jicama!

Dessert: 2 mint teas with fresh mint :)

Snacks: No snacks.

Recipe: Recipes will either be in the earth diet book being released this November or visit www.thegardendiet.com

Exercise: A run around the block and 30 minutes dancing to my favourite music :) No rules - just a bendy body and what ever happens ;)

166 days to go!!!