Okay, so you're probably aware of the fact that our diets contain too much sodium. You've heard how dangerous high sodium levels can be to your health. How it can make you look bloated, retain lots of water, and eventually suffer from heart failure.
You're making the effort to tone down your sodium intake, but that's not as easy as it sounds, because there's a huge problem. And that problem is: sodium is in almost everything we eat! Processed food is loaded with it.
Chances are, if the food you're eating comes from either a box or a bag, it's going to be dangerously high in sodium. But while we can mostly avoid the problem by basing our meals around lean meats and vegetables, what about those times when we aren't hungry enough for a full meal? What about those times when we just want a quick snack? Something that's tasty and convenient. I have just the thing!
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We know we can't be eating cookies and crackers … But luckily, we can satisfy our craving with a delicious fruit that happens to have a weird name. I'm talking about the grapefruit. We all know that despite its name, it looks nothing like a grape. It's from the citrus family and resembles an orange.
In addition to its delicious taste, grapefruits can be one of the best things you could ever eat when trying to burn fat and lose weight.
So what makes grapefruit so effective? Well, like we already covered, it's low in sodium. So grapefruit won't cause any of the water retention and bloated feeling normally associated with snacks.
Next, grapefruit is low in calories because it has extremely high water content. In fact, it's mostly water. So while grapefruit definitely packs a big taste, it doesn't have the calorie count to match.
Finally, grapefruit is loaded with fat-burning enzymes.
When you add these factors together, you get a delicious snack that can really amplify your fat-burning efforts. But grapefruit isn't just great for losing fat: Adding grapefruit to your diet will also boost your overall health. Grapefruit is rich in antioxidants. It's been shown to help lower cholesterol, which is often dangerously high in people who eat too much sodium.
Grapefruit contains a compound called salicylic acid, which helps to break down inorganic calcium. I'm talking about the type of calcium that builds up in your joints and can even lead to arthritis! The citrus fruit also contains a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which gives the fruit its reddish color. Lycopene has been shown to be effective at fighting cancer-causing free radicals!
Personally, I love the taste of grapefruit. It's a great blend of sweet and sour, but if you find it a little too sour for your liking, there are ways to get around that. First, you can sprinkle a little natural sweetener like stevia or honey onto your grapefruit wedges. You can combine grapefruit with other fruits to make a delicious fruit salad. You can use it to top off a grilled chicken salad. Or throw some in the blender to liven up a protein shake.
You'll find that grapefruit's unique flavor clashes well with other foods, so you can be as creative as you like in trying out new combinations–and actually enjoy it, knowing you're doing the right thing for your health and fat loss goals.
So try it out next time you want a snack. And if you like it, feel free to share these snack tips with your friends!
*This post was originally published on January 16, 2013.
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Image via iStock
