Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet is a weight loss diet built solely around the humble grapefruit.

The idea that a single item of food has miraculous weight loss properties seems a farce. The grapefruit is a marvelous fruit - a natural simple carbohydrate high in fibre and vitamin C. But to use it as the sole foundation of a weight loss program is unwise. However recent research has discovered that the grapefruit has more to it than meets the eye.

A lot of the grapefruit diet plans that have been circulating are very low calorie diet plans (VLCD’s) with a grapefruit thrown in. VLCD’s are not a good weight loss solution for many people. Most versions of the Grapefruit diet are identical to the Mayo Clinic Diet.

Grapefruit Diet - Meal Plan

Below is the outline of the fad diet - and it IS NOT RECOMMENDED. Note that there is also substantial evidence that grapefruit (unlike any other citrus fruit) can interfere with medication.

12 days on - 2 days off

Breakfast
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
2 Eggs (any style)
2 Slices Bacon

Lunch
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount)
Salad (any kind of dressing)

Dinner
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount) (fish may be substituted for meat)
Vegetables (any green, yellow, or red vegetables cooked in butter or any seasoning)

Bed Time Snack
1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass Skim milk

Vegetables Allowed
Red onions, green onions, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas.

Vegetables to Avoid
White onions, potatoes, celery.

Instructions

1. At any meal you may eat until you are full - until you can’t eat any more.
2. Don’t eliminate anything from the diet, especially don’t skip bacon at breakfast or omit salads. It is the combination of foods that burn fat.
3. The grapefruit is important because it acts as a catalyst that starts the burning process.
4. Cut down on caffeine- it affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process. Try to limit to 1 cup per meal at mealtime.
5. Don’t eat between meals. If you eat the combination of food suggested you will not be hungry.
6. Note that the diet completely eliminates sugar and starches, which are lipids and form fat. Fat doesn’t form fat; it helps burn it. You can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables.
7. Do not eat desserts, bread, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes. You may double or triple helpings of meat, salad, or vegetables. Eat until you are stuffed. The more you eat of the proper combination of food, the more you lose.

Properties of the Grapefruit

The traditional grapefruit diet consists of a 7 or 21 day eating plan. 1/2 a grapefruit is consumed during breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Recently the Scripps clinic, based in San Diego carried out a clinical trial and discovered the following:

"The 12-week pilot study, led by Dr. Ken Fujioka, monitored weight and metabolic factors, such as insulin secretion, of the 100 men and women who participated in the Scripps Clinic “Grapefruit Diet” study. On average, participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds, while those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. However, many patients in the study lost more than 10 pounds….. The researchers speculate that the chemical properties of grapefruit reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss."

By all means include grapefruit in your diet - it may give you an edge. But for serious and sustained weight loss - look elsewhere.

Also See: Grapefruit Diet Products