# Don't people eat grapefruit for breakfast any more? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039 "2017-01-01T12:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/1 "2017-01-01T12:44:39Z")
I was over at IMDB reading some of the comments on that wonderful movie _Footlight Parade_, 1933, with James Cagney. In one scene he’s at breakfast with his wife and there’s one half of a sliced grapefruit on the table before her. This may or may not be a sly reference to the famous grapefruit scene in _The Public Enemy_, 1931, but what puzzled me were the many comments from IMDB posters who wondered what a grapefruit was doing on a breakfast table in the first place. There were several replies saying that’s what they used to eat back then and only one solitary answer from someone who considered it normal. Now I know most IMDB members aren’t exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer and many of them are very young but is there any substance to their remarks? I myself still eat half a grapefruit as part of breakfast but then I’m an old fart and English to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/2 "2017-01-01T12:56:39Z")
I’ve stopped eating grapefruit and I’ve cautioned my mother to stop as well. Sorry, Grapefruit farmers/consortium. I fully expect, after a couple of years of selective breeding, they’ll develop a strain that significantly diminishes or eliminates the cytochrome P450 isoform CYP3A4 inhibition. And then I’ll enjoy a tart fruit in the morning, in a summertime salad, and anytime as a snack. And grapefruit to the face will make sense in movies again. > **[Grapefruit–drug interactions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions)** > > Some fruit juices and fruits can interact with numerous drugs, in many cases causing adverse effects. The effect is most studied with grapefruit and grapefruit juice, but similar effects have been observed with certain other citrus fruits. > The effect was first discovered accidentally in 1991, when a test of drug interactions with alcohol used grapefruit juice to hide the taste of the ethanol. A 2005 medical review advised patients to avoid all citrus juices until further research clarifies th... If I take a pill, once a day, and expect an effect to last the day, that means the pharmaceutical needs to be metabolized all day, and I can’t risk disrupting it. Whether its my blood pressure pill, or a time-release cold pill, I don’t need occasional, unexpected, disruption. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/3 "2017-01-01T13:01:54Z")
Yeah, lots of people take meds for BP. And they take them in the morning. And they are NOT to be taken within 4 hrs of eating grapefruit. ( **Arson** nailed it! ) ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/4 "2017-01-01T13:39:00Z")
I eat half a grapefruit every morning. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/5 "2017-01-01T13:56:16Z")
I don’t feel like paying one dollar or more for a grapefruit . They use to be 4 for dollar . ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/6 "2017-01-01T14:32:14Z")
I’m sure people still do. Whenever I’m in a diner and see they have breakfasts with cottage cheese and/or grapefruit I know I’m in a place that hasn’t re-examined its menu in 40 years. I eat grapefruit, but I buy it in pre-sectioned cups rather than whole grapefruit simply because I can’t remember the last time I sat down at a table to eat breakfast at home or work. And it’s something that requires that. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/7 "2017-01-01T14:41:53Z")
Ate it as a kid many a morning from 1950-1962. By 1970, almost never. I do quite often get grapefruit juice to drink for breakfast. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if only middle to upper class types had it for breakfast in the 1920s-1950s. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/8 "2017-01-01T16:07:59Z")
Not big on fruit for breakfast, although if grapefruit is offered I’ll go for it. More often I’ll have one as a snack or a dessert after dinner. I peel them and eat them like an orange. Mmmmm… grapefruit. So glad I don’t have to worry about them interacting with stuff I need to take. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/9 "2017-01-01T16:46:12Z")
Just try and find a decent white grapefruit these days. _Just try!_ ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/10 "2017-01-01T16:54:50Z")
Sometimes I’ll get some 2 - 4 grapefruit slices with other fruit from the breakfast buffet in our office building if I don’t want the same old breakfast bars I keep at my desk. I didn’t eat grapefruit for awhile because of its chemical interaction with Paxil, but that was years ago; since I stopped taking Paxil, there’s no reason to avoid it now. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/11 "2017-01-01T17:05:44Z")
As kid my mom would make me eat them. She finally let me put some sugar on them. The key was making so I was having some grapefruit with my sugar 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/12 "2017-01-01T17:07:33Z")
I think the special grapefruit spoons were the most common utensil, but we had cool little grapefruit knives. The short blade was sharply curved and serrated all around to saw each section loose from the membrane. All that work and then a sour taste… [http://www.foodista.com/tool/6VSWZ7YR/grapefruit-knife](http://www.foodista.com/tool/6VSWZ7YR/grapefruit-knife) Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/13 "2017-01-01T17:08:15Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Now I know most IMDB members aren’t exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer […] I think this is the real answer to your question. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/14 "2017-01-01T17:34:10Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As kid my mom would make me eat them. She finally let me put some sugar on them. The key was making so I was having some grapefruit with my sugar 🙂 I think there must have been a point where it was either considered fancy and/or recommended in dietary literature. My mom also went through a period of serving it. It was fun to fiddle with, but didn’t taste good. Unfortunately, in our house there was no possibility of sugar. Sugar was the devil. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/15 "2017-01-01T17:46:35Z")
I love grapefruit, but it takes a bit of effort to eat one. Mrs. Mustard actually brought one home over a week ago from a work fruit basket. I was excited. Still it sits in the fridge. Maybe I’ll bust it open today. mmm ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/16 "2017-01-01T17:47:23Z")
Hey, hey, we had it as children often, _always_ with Christmas breakfast. We got sugar, so it was yummy! I have the knife you’re speaking of, it’s awesome and works perfectly. But since I discovered Pomelo I don’t eat it much any more. ( It’s the waterier but sweeter grandfather of the grapefruit and extra fun to eat because of how it must be deconstructed! ) Now I’m on BP meds and both are a no go in the mornings, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/17 "2017-01-01T17:52:24Z")
I like grapefruit just fine but I think the drug interaction risk helped push it off many menus. It isn’t a small risk either. [It really can and does interact with many drugs strongly and the mix can even be deadly](https://www.drugs.com/slideshow/grapefruit-drug-interactions-1028). In other cases, it can completely change the metabolism of the drug so that it is ineffective or side effects are greatly enhanced. Like many people, I generally don’t like to eat poison first thing in the morning. > **[Grapefruit With Some Medications: Risky Business](https://www.webmd.com/drug-medication/news/20121127/grapefruit-some-medications-risky#1)** > > The number of drugs that can be risky when taken with grapefruit is on the rise, largely due to the influx of new medications and chemical formulations, a new study shows. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/18 "2017-01-01T18:16:21Z")
My wife loves them, but I’m another who can’t eat them because of meds. My mother often served them at breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/19 "2017-01-01T18:35:40Z")
I love grapefruit, but because of my meds, I can’t have any. At all. Ever. Back when I was lots younger, I used to toss one in my lunch sack and eat it like an orange - peel it and eat a section at a time, with a wee bit of salt. My boss used to watch me and grimace - he didn’t get the appeal. I miss grapefruit. Stoopit meds. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039/20 "2017-01-01T18:45:54Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > I don’t feel like paying one dollar or more for a grapefruit . They use to be > 4 for dollar . A buck to two for a pound of fruit is a pretty good price. Was four to a dollar a long time ago? Haven’t had grapefruit in eons, and I don’t know anyone that I know who eats grapefruit for breakfast. I remember it vaguely from the 80s, but that’s about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-people-eat-grapefruit-for-breakfast-any-more/776039.md?page=2)