Dear Beauty Conscious Reader,

You may not see grapefruit mentioned in the typical list of “super fruits,” but it is one of my Aging Backwards champions.

The versatile grapefruit has a whole host of benefits – not just for health, but also for beauty. That’s what I call multi-tasking!

For starters, grapefruit is loaded with Vitamin C, one of the most powerful antioxidants for scavenging and destroying free radicals in the body. Free radicals are known to damage cells, DNA, and proteins in the body. That’s a fast track to aging. Vitamin C helps by playing a key role in collagen production, the principal protein of the skin. And having good skin translates to looking more youthful.₁

Grapefruits are high in phytonutrients, which scientists are finding out contribute to good health and fight cellular damage.₂ Remember, it’s that pesky cellular damage that can contribute to premature aging.

And you know that so-called “Grapefruit Diet?” Well, it turns out it really works! A study conducted by the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found that the simple act of adding grapefruit and grapefruit juice to your diet could result in weight reduction. On average, study participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal dropped 3.6 pounds, while those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day dropped 3.3 pounds. Many of the people in the study lost more than 10 pounds in 12 weeks.₃

There’s more…

According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, a board-certified neurologist and psychiatrist and founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, the scent of pink grapefruit makes a man perceive a woman as six years younger than her age.₄ Other scents applied to middle-aged models had no effect, Hirsch said, including broccoli, pumpkin pie, banana, cucumbers, and spearmint leaves. It doesn’t work the other way around, though. The study also found that pink grapefruit’s aroma has no effect on a woman’s perception of a man’s age.

Before you cut up a pink grapefruit and splash the juice around, check out these Aging Backwards grapefruit tips:

1. Instead of adding a lemon wedge to water, why not try a grapefruit wedge instead? Refreshing!
2. Freeze pink grapefruit juice in ice trays and add a couple of cubes to your water for a refreshing, calorie-busting drink.
3. Try a citrus foot soak. Add a quarter cup of pink grapefruit juice to a half-filled bathtub or one of those foot soaker tubs and immerse your feet for 10 to 15 minutes. Ah, so relaxing and all-natural.
4. Enjoy it grilled. Looking for new ways to enjoy grapefruit? Grill it! Just cut a pink grapefruit into halves and grill or broil until lightly browned. If you like it a little sweeter, add a pinch of organic sugar before cooking.

In Arizona and California, the peak season for grapefruit is January to June, but in Florida and Texas, the season is October to June. The U.S. also imports grapefruit from other countries in the off-season, so you can enjoy grapefruit all year long.

Have a Youthful Day,

Jackie Silver

1. Bienkowski RS, Baum BJ, Crystal RG. “Fibroblasts degrade newly synthesised collagen within the cell before secretion.” Nature 1978;276:413-6.
2. Yao LH, Hiang YM, Shi J, Tomas-Barberan FA, Datta N, Singanusong R, Chen SS. “Flavonoids in food and their health benefits.” Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 2004;59:113-122.
3. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/5495.php
4. Levesque, WR. “Grapefruit scent has romantic effect, study finds,” St. Petersburg Times, 6/27/05. Accessed online: http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/27/Business/Grapefruit_scent_has_.shtml