Pink Grapefruit & Avocado Salad (Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Wahls, Whole30)

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“Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple.”
~ Natalie Babbitt

Tis the Season

I’m talking about grapefruit season, which I celebrate like a personal holiday. Our local Rotary Club does a fundraiser every year, where they sell citrus from Florida, fresh from the trees. I always buy a case of grapefruit, making me a very happy girl for the next month. You don’t need a recipe to enjoy good grapefruit. It tastes great all by itself. However, it also pairs beautifully with flavors you would never expect, such as avocado and balsamic vinegar. It sounds strange, doesn’t it? Trust me – it tastes delicious.

Side note: before starting a healing diet, I always needed to add sugar to my grapefruit, because it was too tart for my tastebuds. Not any more! One of my favorite side effects of switching to real food, is reclaiming my ability to really taste things. It makes me savor every season.

Nutrition

Pink grapefruit isn’t just another pretty face. It’s incredibly nutritious:

• In addition to providing 75% of our daily need for Vitamin C and a substantial amount of Vitamin A, it’s also full of antioxidants, those magic chemicals that are essential for maintaining our health.
• If that’s not enough, grapefruit also contains phytonutrients called limonoids, which boost the body’s production of glutathione, an essential detoxifier. Our liver can’t function without it.
• Grapefruit also lowers LDL cholesterol (commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol.”) In one study, eating grapefruit daily resulted in a 20% reduction after just 30 days.
• It contains a flavanoid called naringenen, which actually helps to repair damaged DNA.
• It seems to have anti-cancer properties, with studies showing effectiveness against prostate, mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon cancers.
• There’s a reason, Dr. Terry Wahls suggests we eat 3 cups of brightly colored fruit or vegetables daily. Pink grapefruit is an excellent choice.

While I’m obviously infatuated with grapefruit, let’s not forget the avocado:

• Fats have been falsely demonized for years, but they are absolutely essential to a healing diet. 50% of every cell membrane is made from fats; our brain is composed mostly of fat; many important vitamins are fat-soluble, and we can’t digest them without fat; essential hormones in our bodies are made from fats; the list goes on. Avocado is 85% fat.
• Avocado is a unique fat, shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Are there certain foods that you can tell your body simply loves? Avocado is one of those foods for me. Whenever I eat it, I feel like my body just lights up. I can almost feel it say, “Thank you for eating this.” Since I have rheumatoid arthritis, this might be the reason why.
• Avocado by itself has substantial amounts of Vitamin K, B5, B6, C and Potassium.
• It’s also a powerful synergist, boosting our body’s ability to absorb the nutrition in other foods. For example, adding avocado to grapefruit (like this recipe), increases our bodies ability to absorb grapefruit’s antioxidants by 200-400%. How cool is that?

Recipe
published with permission from the former blog: Nourish Paleo Foods

Pink Grapefruit & Avocado Salad (Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Wahls, Whole30)

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• Author: Eileen Laird
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 2 grapefruit
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar*
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1–2 shakes of sea salt

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Instructions

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop them whole from their shells, and then cut into slices. Arrange in spirals on small plates.
2. Segment the grapefruits. If you've never done this before, I've included a video at the bottom of this post. Here's a written description: (1) Cut the ends off, until you reveal the flesh. (2) Cut the rest of the skin off, as close to the flesh as possible. (3) Hold the grapefruit in one hand, and use a small sharp knife to cut each segment free from the membrane. (4) Scatter the grapefruit pieces on top of the avocado slices (5) The membrane core still contains a lot of juice, so squeeze it over a separate bowl or large glass and drink up! It's too delicious to waste. (6) Segment the 2nd grapefruit the same way.
3. Put the oil, vinegar & salt in a small container & shake to blend. Drizzle over the salads and serve immediately.

Notes

1. Check your ingredient list on balsamic vinegar carefully. Some brands have added sugar, coloring and preservatives, all of which you want to avoid.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side Dishes
• Method: No Cook

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