The Fruits of Summer

My fave 5 to de-bloat and shed those pounds.

Fruits are always a staple of summertime. They provide a refreshing bite, a bit of cool, and offer an indulgence you can feel good about. When packing your beach bag or planning your next backyard BBQ, try these five choices. They’re all seasonally scrumptious—and all boast the power to benefit your waistline. For a quick and healthy meal or snack, also consider these five as your fruits of choice for your summer smoothies.

Grapefruit
Remember the old grapefruit diet from years back? It turns out there may be some solid science behind the grapefruit/weight loss connection after all. Researchers at the famous Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California found that eating half a grapefruit three times a day resulted in 800% more weight loss than those who skipped it completely.

How does it work? An antioxidant flavonoid found in grapefruit, naringenin, can increase insulin sensitivity which in turn triggers the liver to break down more fat. In fact, one report even called naringenin “rocket fuel” for fat-burning in the liver!

And that’s beyond grapefruit’s nutritional perks that include its offering of a low calorie source of vitamin C, a decent amount of potassium, and phytosterols that help to balance cholesterol levels.
Grapefruit has been one of my favorite Fat Flushing fruits for years. When you team it with other fat fighters like lean protein, essential fats and clean carbs, it’s the perfect formula for quick, safe weight loss.

Pineapple
Second only to bananas as America’s favorite tropical fruit, pineapple boasts a lovely array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, plus one uniquely powerful player: bromelain. Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme with potent anti-inflammatory effects and tremendous healing power. The enzyme offers benefits for a large number of diseases, and pineapple is our richest natural source—especially the stem and core.

Bromelain calms the pain and swelling of arthritis, reduces asthma and sinus symptoms, and quiets inflammatory bowel disease. It soothes the inflamed tissues of sprained ankles and tendonitis and helps heal ACL tears. In a 2014 study, bromelain was found to relieve pain among osteoarthritis sufferers by 50 to 60 percent. Bromelain also reduces phlegm and mucus buildup, which helps explain its benefits for respiratory conditions. In fact, bromelain helps modulate your entire immune system, making the enzyme beneficial for allergies and autoimmune issues as well. It also acts as an anticoagulant.

Bromelain has an additional feature that will excite anyone fighting the fat battle: it boosts fat metabolism and helps melt away cellulite. Bromelain dissolves waste and toxins trapped inside fat cells, allowing your lymph system to flush them away. This miracle enzyme also neutralizes bradykinins—polypeptides that promote fat storage on your hips and thighs.

Lemon
Lemons are high in vitamin C, supplying four times more than oranges. As the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, vitamin C travels through your system, preventing cellular damage and cholesterol buildup by zapping any free radicals it meets. Recently, researchers discovered a substance in lemons called limonene. This essential oil has been shown to shrink cancerous tumors, detoxify carcinogens in the body, and stimulate the healthy flow of lymph fluids.

Lemons assist in the digestive process by producing necessary enzymes, invigorating the gallbladder and liver, and promoting the absorption of protein and minerals from foods. Lemon juice also helps liquefy fat so that it can be flushed out of your system faster. And as if that weren’t enough, drinking lemon juice in hot water acts as a mild diuretic, ridding the body of retained water and toxins. It may also help to reduce cellulite by cleansing the lymphatic system and stimulating blood flow to the skin.

To top it off, lemons also provide small amounts of vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and folate.

Raspberries
Filled with the antioxidant ellagic acid, raspberries help prevent damage to cell membranes by neutralizing free radicals. Raspberries also contain flavonoids, the substances that give them their rich red color. These
phytonutrients prevent overgrowth of bacteria and fungi, including Candida albicans—a factor in yeast infections and those pesky carb cravings. Brimming with manganese, vitamin C, a number of B vitamins, and dietary fiber, raspberries benefit the liver by cleansing the blood.

They’re also bursting with vitamin C, which stimulates production of carnitine, an amino acid that boosts metabolism. In addition, raspberries contain natural fructose, which is satisfying to a sweet tooth. Researchers have also found that the insoluble fiber in berries prevents their total calories from being absorbed, making them a tasty Fat Flush treat!

Peaches
There are two categories of peaches: clingstone and freestone. They are differentiated by how easily the fruit pulls away from the pit. With freestones, the pit comes away easily, but with cling peaches, separating the pit is more of a challenge.

Peaches are high in the antioxidant vitamins A and C, which promote beautiful, ageless skin, healthy vision, and a strong immune system. This fuzzy fruit is also a good source of potassium, fiber, and beta cryptothanxin, a phytonutrient recognized for preventing heart disease. And while peaches are already known to prevent certain types of cancer, new varieties of the fruit are being developed that will yield even higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Peaches have both a diuretic and a laxative effect and help stimulate digestive juices. This nutritious Fat Flush fruit also contains boron, known to pump up estrogen levels in postmenopausal women, stimulate the brain, and help prevent osteoporosis. So feel free to indulge in a juicy ripe peach whenever you like. It only tastes sinful.

For even more Fat Flushing foods and spices to fill your summer meals, pick up a copy of The NEW Fat Flush Foods. Isn’t life sweet?