eFitnessConnection

 

The Grapefruit Diet

Eat grapefruit and Lose up to 10lb! Whether or not you've tried it, you've undoubtedly heard about the Grapefruit Diet, which dates back to the 1930s.

 

What is the Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet is one of the most popular word-of-mouth plans in the United States. Grapefruit is believed to have a fat-burning enzyme and thus the plan calls for a grapefruit at every meal. Most of the meals also include some protein (egg, chicken or beef), vegetables and coffee or tea.

Calories add up to about 800 a day, which leads to dramatic weight loss. The plus side to this diet is grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C and high in fiber. The disadvantage of any plan that restricts dieters to certain foods is bound to eliminate vital nutrients and vitamins.

 

 

 

How does it work

Researchers believe grapefruit contains unique plant compounds that reduce insulin levels, which in turn promotes weight loss.

The link between raised insulin levels and excess weight is complicated and multifaceted. To start with, high levels of insulin may indicate that sugar isn't efficiently used for energy with the result that it's more likely to be stored as fat. On the other hand, high levels of insulin can make people feel hungry so that they eat more. And finally, high levels of insulin prevent the body from breaking down fat. Add these together, and it's easy to see why lower levels of insulin may promote weight loss. What exactly it is in grapefruit that has this insulin-lowering effect remains unclear.

 

What you can eat

On the Grapefruit Diet meals are accompanied by grapefruit. It is also recommended that participants drink around 8 glasses of water daily, along with unlimited amounts of black coffee. This regimented diet does not allow most complex carbs, and doesn't allow for snacking in-between meals. However, the consumption of most vegetables is encouraged and you are allowed to prepare them in generous amounts of butter.

 

• The Grapefruit Diet consists of eating four meals throughout each day:

• Meal one consists of a half grapefruit, 3 eggs (in any style), and two slices of bacon

• Meal Two consists of another half grapefruit, any piece of meat you want, and a salad with any type of dressing

• Meal Three consists of the exact same thing as meal two, but add 1 cup of coffee into your meal and finally

• Meal Four consists of either 1 eight ounce glass of tomato juice or 1 eight ounce glass of skim milk

•  

What health experts say

Grapefruits are fat free, low in calories and full of vitamin C. Pink grapefruits also contain some beta carotene. However, eating just a few grapefruits hardly constitutes calling it a 'diet'. The diet lacks sufficient iron, calcium, and many vitamins and minerals. This diet is unhealthy, monotonous, and contains far too few calories.

 

 

 

Back to the top