It’s Cold and Flu Season! But Is Grapefruit Good for Colds?
Cold and flu season is here, and you’re probably looking for ways to prevent catching those pesky bugs. If you’ve gotten a flu shot and wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer, you’ve taken important steps to prevent illness!
If you’ve already caught a cold, you’ll want to get over it as quickly as possible. Adding delicious Texas grapefruit to your diet might be the answer! But the question is, is grapefruit good for colds? Keep reading to find out!
How Do Colds Affect Your Body?
Tiny viruses cause colds, and they often make you feel absolutely terrible. If you’ve got a stuffy nose, muscle aches, or a fever, all you’ll want to do is curl up on the couch and sleep all day!
While you’re getting that important rest, your immune system goes to work! It creates antibodies to fight off the illness. But sometimes, your immune system needs a little help!
Can Texas Grapefruits Give You an Immune Boost?
Grapefruits have several nutrients that can give your immune system a boost! While vitamin C is the obvious one, there are even more than that!
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to heal and support your body. But your body can’t make it on its own, so make sure to grab that grapefruit!
- Vitamin B6 – This vitamin is necessary for building white blood cells. Your immune system needs these cells to fight off viruses and infections.
- Thiamine – To build strong white blood cells, your immune system needs energy. Thiamine is to the rescue by helping grow and develop these essential cells!
- Potassium – This nutrient helps your body maintain fluid levels, muscle contractions, and healthy blood pressure. All of these play an important part in supporting your immune system.
- Flavonoids – While technically not a nutrient, flavonoids have certain antibodies and anti-inflammatory characteristics that can help your immune system fight off diseases.
- Carotenoids – Carotenoids aren’t nutrients either, but they’re found in Texas red grapefruits. And they act as antibodies that can support your immune system!
While grapefruit has many immune-boosting nutrients, you may wonder if eating and drinking grapefruit can actually prevent you from getting sick.
Can Grapefruit Help Fight Off the Cold?
Unfortunately, eating or drinking grapefruit won’t stop you from getting sick, but neither will taking high amounts of vitamin C supplements. However, the vitamin C found in grapefruit (along with its many other immune-supporting properties) may reduce the duration and severity of colds.
5 Best Ways to Eat and Drink Grapefruit for Cold Relief!
Grapefruit is delicious to eat on its own, but when you’re sick, you’ll want something that can soothe that upset stomach or those achy muscles.
- Squeeze some grapefruit juice in your hot tea.
- Blend grapefruit in an immune-boosting smoothie.
- Put grapefruit slices on avocado toast.
- Make roasted grapefruit chicken.
- Throw a carrot and grapefruit soup in the crockpot.
The options are limitless! With so many different grapefruit recipes to try, find the one you love the most!
Fight off the Cold With Winter Sweetz!
So is grapefruit good for colds? Yes! It can’t stop the sickness, but eating and drinking grapefruit can help boost your immune system. Help your immune system out by adding grapefruit to your regular diet!
It’s important to note that while grapefruit is great to eat or drink when you have a common cold, you will want to stay away from it if you have strep throat. The high acid levels in citrus fruits can irritate your throat even more.
At Winter Sweetz, you can find the most delicious and juiciest grapefruits to eat and drink every day! Not all grapefruits are created equal, so make sure to grab the best from Winter Sweetz to add to your favorite recipes today!