Grapefruit reminds me of my grandma on my Dad’s side, who I called Nana, because she lived in Florida and loved to eat it with those nifty ridged grapefruit spoons! It’s a pretty potent cleansing food, and when you hit up a perfectly ripe, sweet(er) grapefruit, it tastes delish (admittedly a not-so-ripe grapefruit can be mouthpuckeringly nasty!).
Grapefruit + greens is a pretty exciting beauty mix :). My Green Grapefruit Power Smoothie is one of a kind, packed with the super beauty foods of grapefruit, kale, red apple and celery.
Check out more about the special goodies in this smoothie, below!
Strong Beauty Cleanser: Red Grapefruit
Grapefuit can be equal parts tart, tangy and underlying sweet (hopefully :) ). There contain lotsa great beauty benefits as well, including…
Made up of 91% water (just below watermelon), grapefruit is one of the most hydrating fruits in the world. Full of important electrolytes- grapefruits helps prevent dehydration.
Optimal hydration is key for growing healthy, strong hair, maintaining supple skin, and a zillion other functions that keep us healthy.
Because grapefruit is full of high water and fiber, it helps promote healthy digestion and ongoing cleansing.
Click here if you’re interested in giving your digestion an extra boost of cleansing!
Only half of a grapefruit meets 64% of your vitamin C needs, 28% of vitamin A, 2% of calcium and 2% of magnesium. It also provides smaller amounts of vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and copper.
What does that all mean for our health and beauty? It means that the antioxidant vitamin C (when eaten in its natural form), helps fight skin damage caused by the sun and pollution, reduces wrinkles, and improves our overall skin texture.
And again, only half a grapefruit give you a whopping 64% of your daily needs! Vitamin C plays a vital role in the formation of collagen (the main support system of skin), which the vitamin A and high amounts of hydration also foster. Beautiful skin, here we come!!! We are ready :).
How To Buy The Best Grapefruit
This is key. Because as I mentioned earlier, a great grapefruit can be delicious and satisfying, while an unripe one can be simply super unpleasant to bite into. I dare say its along the level of drinking a sip of straight vinegar- icky! (as Lil Bub says :) ).
Although available throughout the year, grapefruits are at their best from winter through early spring. They don’t necessarily have to be perfect in color (skin discoloration, scratches or scales may affect the appearance of a grapefruit, but does not affect the taste or texture quality).
Grapefruits should also be firm, yet slightly springy when gentle pressure is applied to indicate ripeness. Go for ones that are heavy for their size, which usually indicates a higher concentration of juicier flesh.
When it comes to choosing and buying a good grapefruit, try to add this fruit to your organic shopping list. EWG’s Shoppers Guide puts grapefruit at #36 on their pesticide residue list among 51 entries.
Store grapefruit at room temperature if you are planning on using them within a week of purchase- I notice grapefruits are juicier when they’re slightly warm rather than stored in the fridge.
Apparently these babies like to relax in warmer temps and it seems to “open them” up! However, if you won’t be using them within a week, storing them in the refrigerator crisper will keep fresh for two to three weeks.
Grapefruit that should be avoided:
- Those that have a soft spot at the stem end of the fruit and areas that appear water-soaked—this usually indicates decay and poor/ie nasty taste.
- Those with a rough or wrinkled skin—these usually tend to be thick skinned. We then get jipped of the good stuff!
Powerhouse Dinosaur Kale (Lacinto Kale)
Lacinato is simply gorgeous. It’s thick, waxy and powerful-looking. Its appearance matches up with its hefty dosage of chlorophyll—a major blood builder. It also contains protein-building amino acids, enzymes, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
Kale is recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system, which is a major topic in all my Beauty Detox books (Yep, I’m really into poop and abating bloating and all things digestion-wise!
I suppose it’s partly because I’ve had so many issues myself over the years with these things). Being rich in vitamins A, C and K, along with other vital nutrients.
And protein? Well we have you covered there too. You might be surprised to learn that kale is really high in plant protein, since it’s been ingrained in us for so long to associate protein with animal protein. But oh how untrue that notion is!
My mother was up in arms about how I could possibly get enough protein to survive when I decided at an early age (13 years old), to become vegetarian. But guess what?! I came out okay! ;) And what’s amazing about this plant protein is that it’s easy to digest and assimilate—building healthy and strong muscles, hair and more! KALE ON!
Let’s get our ingredients prepped and start providing our body with the building blocks it needs for cleaner blood and a more beautiful you!
Prepare ingredients.
Add filtered water to the blender.
Add the peeled and sectioned grapefruit (chosen carefully of course!).
Add the Lacinato kale (stems removed).
Add the sliced apple wedges.
Add the celery stalk.
Blend on low increasing speed as needed until smooth.
Serve immediately!
It’s time to check out this new recipe….
- ½ cup filtered water
- ½ of a ripe red grapefruit
- 1 cup Lacinato kale, chopped
- 1 red apple
- 1 large stalk celery
- Combine filtered water, grapefruit, kale, apple and celery in blender.
- Blend on low increasing speed as needed until smooth.
- Serve immediately!
All my love,
Kimberly
Bubby and I at Glow Bio! Come visit us when you are in LA :).
I just love this cleanser recipe! I love grapefruit!
i am happy to try the smoothie recipes
Thank you dolores for giving this a try. Let us know what you think and sending you lots of love! ;)