Starting the Day off Right

Every morning I prepare bowls of fresh organic fruit for Larry and me.

This morning I sectioned two grapefruits - they looked white but were very sweet. Jorge, who farms in Temecula and sells his produce at the Hollywood Farmers Market, grows more varieties of citrus than I knew existed. Even his grapefruits vary throughout the year as different kinds ripen. The colors change from white to pink and all shades between. The flavor ranges from sweet to puckery. I enjoy the uncertainty of never knowing what I will get when I cut the grapefruit.

I credit Jorge's grapefruits with keeping Larry and me healthy. Larry works in a cubicle surrounded by people who pass viruses and flus around, yet he rarely succumbs.

All fresh fruit is known for its stress-busting properties, so it’s a great way to start the day. Citrus fruits contain phyto-chemicals that are thought to prevent everything from cancer to strokes. Grapefruits are also rich in Vitamin C, bioflavanoids, and lycopene (another cancer-preventer) -- the pinker the grapefruit, the more lycopene.

While it’s interesting to know what compounds are in the food, I think nature (meaning our bodies and the plants) knows better than we do how nutrients work together. Eat the whole food to get the whole nutrient package.

So I don't make us grapefruit juice in the morning. Instead, I cut the grapefruit in a way that maximizes nutrition and flavor.

First, I carve off the peel and thick white pith. I then cut the grapefruit lengthwise first in half and then each half into four or five pieces. Each piece has some of the thin, bioflavanoid-rich membranes in it. There is often a thick bitter pith at the core of the grapefruit with the seeds. I slice this away, and then cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces.

This morning I added a nice tang by sprinkling some organic blueberries from Forbidden Fruit Farms in Santa Barbara County (also from the Hollywood Farmers Market) on top of the grapefruit.

I don’t sweeten our morning fruit. We eat it as it comes. Sometimes, if the fruit is extra tart, we get the bonus of doing facial exercises while we eat, eyes squinching, face contorting -- it's a great reminder that in life there is some sweet and some sour, and the secret is in finding the balance.