Anyone who tried to lose weight in the 1980s must know something about the grapefruit diet. After all, it was one of the most popular fad diets at that time. Although many people ridiculed the ‘fat melting’ properties of grapefruit, as extolled by the diet, years later, experiments have shown that grapefruit may indeed augment weight loss. The only question is whether an entire diet based on this fruit is indeed effective.
The Grapefruit diet is a fad diet, which means that the diet can help people lose some amount of weight quickly, but is not meant to be followed for long periods. In fact, the recommended period is a cycle of 12 days with a break of two weeks between cycles. It was mostly popularized by Hollywood stars who wanted to lose weight quickly for a red carpet event.
So, this is NOT a program for long term results. It may be right if you have a deadline by which to lose weight.
The Grapefruit diet: Overview
The meal plan may be enough to keep you full. It allows dieters to take in as much black coffee as they want, some amount of protein and the odd piece of toast, so long as there is plenty of grapefruit consumed with each meal.
A typical breakfast would look like this:
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices of bacon
- ½ grapefruit or 8 oz unsweetened grapefruit juice
For lunch, you could have:
- Meat with any amount of salad
- ½ grapefruit or 8 oz unsweetened grapefruit juice
Dinner
- Salad
- Meat or fish
- Tea or coffee
- ½ grapefruit or 8 oz unsweetened grapefruit juice
Bedtime snack
- Skim milk or tomato juice
The highlight of the grapefruit diet is the fact that it allows you to eat until you are full. A recommended food list helps dieters choose the right kinds of food. The diet also stressed the need to take in plenty of water.
Grape Fruit Diet Reviews
Grapefruits are rich in nutrients, fiber, vitamins and flavonoids that protect the body from cancer. Grapefruit also has low Glycemic Index and is therefore digested slowly and has fewer calories than most foods. To top it all, grapefruits stabilize the blood sugar levels and speeds up the metabolism of food.
Pros:
- Includes a good supply of grapefruits
- No food restriction
- Inexpensive
- Easy and fast
- Short program
- Includes essential proteins
- Encourages the intake of healthy foods
Cons:
- Restrictive
- Not amenable to long term use
- Not vegetarian friendly
- Very low cal
- No emphasis on exercise
Conclusion
The grapefruit diet is useful when it is followed for the particular purpose of quick weight loss before an event or a function. Some of the elements of the grapefruit diet are very beneficial, like the inclusion of plenty of salads and grapefruits. However, followers must realize that any weight loss from this diet program is due to the loss of muscle mass and water, not fat. Also, this diet cannot be followed for long periods as it supplies only 800 calories a day.
