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Grapefruit Diet
The grapefruit diet (or grapefruit juice diet) is one of the oldest fad diets
around. Once known as the Hollywood Diet, grapefruit diets have had many incarnations
since they first appeared in the 1930’s. This diet is based on the premise that
the grapefruit contains a fat-burning enzyme that is activated when you eat
some form of the fruit for each meal along with small amounts of other food.
Diets with grapefruit typically last between 7 and 21 days and claim to result
in rapid and effective weight-loss. A grapefruit diet plan will encourage low
calorie intake and it will often recommend drinking high quantities of beverages
containing caffeine.
Many people remember the original grapefruit diet as restrictive, but grapefruit
and diet have been combined in new and innovative ways over the years so that
even people who cannot stand the taste of the fruit can reap the rewards of
the diet. Options for those who don’t like, or can’t stomach the fruit include
grapefruit diet pills that can contain the nutritional equivalent of an entire
fruit including the rind. For those who would rather have the fruit than take
a supplement, grapefruit diet meals can incorporate either an 8-ounce glass
of grapefruit juice or half of a grapefruit.
Grapefruit diets allow the dieter to eat relatively normal meals, in small
proportion, at normal meal times. In addition, grapefruit diet meals consist
of things you can find in your kitchen. There is no need to go out and spend
money on expensive frozen diet meals.
Grapefruits are fat-free, low in calories and sodium and full of vitamin C.
Pink grapefruits also contain beta-carotene. These properties encourage many
people to diet grapefruit style.
As attractive as it may seem, from a nutritional standpoint, using grapefruit
for diet purposes over a long period of time can cause problems. Most grapefruit
diets are nutritionally deficient. They are usually low in protein, fiber and
many other important vitamins and minerals. The actual weight lost is usually
mainly water so it can come back easily when the dieter resumes a normal diet.
Because the diet is low in calories the dieter could experience fatigue, nausea
and constipation.
Despite the downfalls the grapefruit diet remains popular and has had much
publicity with endorsements from the Florida Department of Citrus and connections
to famous health providers like the Mayo Clinic.
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