If you've never tried a Texas navel orange, you have not tried the best of Texas produce. Of course, you may live in another state and still have the good fortune to buy a navel orange from the western part of the United States–not all navel oranges are native to Florida by any means. You need to take the time to engage in some enjoyment of the Texas navel orange whether it is from a produce stand or just enjoying the flavor along with your wonderfully prepared dinner at any of the many excellent restaurants. Why should you take the…

Image via Wikipedia From the moment we were old enough to understand things, we've been told to eat our fruits and veggies. Over the years the government got into the act and put forth the idea that we need to have at least five servings a day. If we followed that recommendation, it would mean eating a couple of pieces of fruit, a salad and a side of green beans every day for a start. That's a lot to take in. Typically, we might just skip the salad and just grab a piece of fruit on the go. If you're…

Cutting calories is important to losing weight, but it is not just the small number of calories in grapefruit that will help you lose those extra pounds. Grapefruit is an powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, water and fiber, all essential to healthy weight loss. Consumption of grapefruit has been linked to a reduction of insulin, which has in turn been linked to a loss of fat. Studies have shown that consumption of fresh grapefruit, the juice and pills improve weight loss, with consumption of the fresh fruit being most effective. Fruit in general, with its high water and fiber content, helps…

The growth of ecommerce has made buying almost anything outside of traditional brick-and-mortar stores possible. In addition to non-perishable items like books and consumer electronics, you can now buy fresh fruit and other groceries online. But why would you want to? If you can find the very same items at your local supermarket, what sense does it make it wait a few days, even a week, for food to be delivered to your door? As valid as those questions may be, we can easily answer them and demonstrate why the future belongs to online sellers. 1. Superior Products Whether you…

Who would have ever thought that something from nature would be so confusing? We're not talking about gizmos and gadgets with computer chips, but fruit that grow on trees and has done so since time immemorial. Why then does everyone seem to have a different way of enjoying an apple, orange, banana, etc? All claim that their way is the right one, or at least the easiest, most convenient one. Slicing, dicing, peeling, paring, and even scooping are the most common ways to enjoy fresh fruit. But when it comes to buying grapefruit, all bets are off! What's so difficult?…

Image via Wikipedia Grapefruit is part of the citrus family but it hasn't been in circulation for as long as oranges have been. Whereas there are references to oranges dating back 4,000 years, the first time we ever heard about grapefruit was in 1750 when it was referred to as the “forbidden fruit” of Barbados. The original name for the grapefruit was a shaddock. It was renamed grapefruit based on the fact that it grows in clusters much like grapes on a vine. Once grapefruit trees were transplanted to the US their popularity as a breakfast fruit grew. Sales for…

At the start of the new millennium, government health officials set what they believed to be modest dietary goals for the American people. The guidelines were designed to combat the growing obesity problem, which some healthcare professionals feared could reach epidemic proportions. A decade later, most Americans are still struggling to reach those “modest” thresholds. In fact, they are further away from them then they were ten years ago. One particular area of concern is the fruit and vegetable group. Health officials had hoped that 75 percent of Americans would be getting the recommended two servings of fruit each day…

There are two types of cholesterol, and grapefruit pectin is good to help lower the bad kind. Before we get into the benefits of grapefruit pectin on bad cholesterol, it is important to know exactly how cholesterol affects your body and why you only want the bad stuff to be reduced. First, the good stuff. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is what is called good cholesterol. It is good because it helps maintain certain things in your body. LDL is proof that not all cholesterol is bad. As a matter of fact, some cholesterol is absolutely essential in your body…

Atherosclerosis is the medical term used to describe the hardening of the arteries. This condition is usually asymptomatic for years and many people have this condition but do not even know that they have it until they experience some major medical problems including ruptures and clotting on the arteries. Atherosclerosis can lead to fatal heart attacks or strokes. Fortunately, atherosclerosis develops over a long period of time and one can actually arrest its development through proper diet and eating plenty of grapefruit. Studies show that grapefruit contains elements that can help keep the arteries supple and elastic so if you…