Sweet, juicy, and delicious, the ruby red grapefruit packs more antioxidant power and possibly more heart benefits than the white grapefruit. In a preliminary 30-day test of people with heart disease, those eating one red grapefruit daily decreased their LDL (bad) cholesterol by 20 percent, and decreased triglycerides by 17 percent. In contrast, those eating a white grapefruit reduced LDL by 10 percent with no significant change in triglycerides, compared with a group of people who didn't eat the fruit.

Include the vitamin C-rich grapefruit as a juice, in salads, or by itself. The only way the body can get vitamin C is through food, such as citrus fruits, or supplements.

Grapefruit interacts with certain drugs, including statins and antiarrhythmic medications, so check with your health-care professional.

One serving of a large grapefruit is one half of the grapefruit, or 3/4 cup of grapefruit sections. - Millet (1,255-)