The Grapefruit Diet
The grapefruit diet is a fad diet that is thought to have originated as far back as the 1930s. It is based on the principle that eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice will help you burn more calories and lose weight. There is, however, a very specific list of foods which you must eat and foods you are not allowed to eat. The grapefruit diet is also known as the Mayo diet but it is not associated in any way with the Mayo Clinic.
With the grapefruit diet, you have to drink a minimum of sixty-four ounces of water a day. Each meal requires that you drink a certain amount of grapefruit juice and that you eat high amounts of meat, including bacon for breakfast, and salads. You can only drink milk after dinner and no between-meal snacks are allowed.
A day of the grapefruit diet might have a meal plan like this one: For breakfast, eat two slices of bacon and two eggs. You can drink all the black coffee (no sugar or milk) you wish. You must either drink eight ounces of grapefruit juice or eat one-half of a grapefruit. Lunch must consist of meat (unlimited amount) and a salad with salad dressing. You must drink another eight ounces of grapefruit juice or eat one-half of a grapefruit.
Dinner should consist of an unlimited amount of meat or fish, along with green or red vegetables--no yellow vegetables are allowed. Starchy veggies like corn, peas, or beans are not allowed. Another eight ounces of grapefruit juice or one-half grapefruit is required. Milk can be used as a snack before bedtime. No snacks at all are allowed until after dinner. With the grapefruit diet, you can have all of the salad dressing you wish. Unlimited amounts of butter are also OK.
The theory behind the grapefruit diet is that grapefruit contains an enzyme, that when combined with certain foods, burns off fat. This claim is totally unsubstantiated by scientific evidence. The diet can last up to twelve days, and then you can eat normally for two days before beginning another twelve days of the diet if you wish to continue. The grapefruit diet is for fast weight loss. It is not a nutritionally healthy way to eat nor is it recommended by dieticians and nutritionists.
In most cases, weight is lost on the diet. That’s because it is a low-calorie diet in which people can only eat a maximum of one thousand calories. Just about anyone can lose weight when limiting daily caloric intake to such a low amount. However, the weight will not stay off and most what is lost is water. The diet is also high in fat and cholesterol which is not beneficial to people who are hugely overweight or have cholesterol or blood pressure problems. Another reason for the short-term weight loss is that the grapefruit diet is very low on carbohydrates and allows no desserts whatsoever.
The grapefruit diet should not be used by people who need healthy and long-term weight loss. It is much better to make dietary changes that will help you to lose weight in a slower, healthier manner, that also includes exercise.