The Grapefruit Diet Plan

The Grapefruit Diet has been around for a long time. Although most experts believe the diet is not nutritionally sound, it does allow you to drop several pounds in a short amount of time. Many dieters lose between 12 and 30 pounds during the twelve-day program. Unfortunately, most dieter gain back what they loss when they resume their old eating habits.

How The Diet Works

The Grapefruit diet allows no more than 800 calories a day, which is very restrictive. Also:

• Eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice during each meal. The grapefruit acts as a kick-starter for fat burning.
• You must eat until you are full
• Limit coffee intake to 1 cup per meal.
• Don’t eat between meals.
• Butter can be added to your vegetables and you can fry using butter.
• No desserts, breads, white vegetables, or sweet potatoes are allowed on this diet.
• You can eat more than the specified vegetables, meats and salads.
• Stay on the diet for 12 days then stop for 2 days. Repeat.
• You cannot eat white onions, potatoes, celery, peas, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, potato chips, cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, chili, cheese, mayonnaise, hot dogs, coleslaws, regular salad dressing green vegetables, dried nuts and butter/dill/bread pickles.
• You may have red onions, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, cereal, corn, starchy vegetables, leaf spinach, pasta, peanut butter, corn chips jelly, jam, sweet pickles, pretzels, fruit, low-fat dressings.

Studies on the grapefruit diet

A 12 week study, lead by Dr. Ken Fujioka, monitored 100 men and women on the Grapefruit diet. Participants who ate grapefruit lost an average of 3.6 pounds and those who drank grapefruit juice lost an average of 3.3 pounds. However, many of the participants lost more than 10 pounds during the study. The participants did not change any of their existing diet except to include grapefruit or grapefruit juice to each meal.

Other Benefits

Another benefit of adding grapefruit to your diet is that researchers believe grapefruit reduces insulin levels, which help with weight loss. A high level of insulin indicates your body is not utilizing sugar for energy and the excess sugar can be converted and stored as fat on your body. High levels of insulin can also make people feel hungry even though they just ate! Studies indicate the consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice helps to lower the insulin levels, allowing the body to more effectively burn energy, increase the metabolic rate, and give us the feeling of being full.

Side Effects

If you are taking any medication, you should speak to a professional before starting this diet. Research has proven that grapefruit and grapefruit juice interacts with some medications causing potential side effects. Grapefruit inhibits an enzyme in the intestines, which provides for breakdown and absorption of many medications. Toxic side effects can happen when this process is blocked.

Many years of nutritional research has taught us that eating a wide variety of foods is the best way to lose weight. Restrictive diets that fall below 1,100 calories per day can be damaging. Many nutritional experts agree that more research is needed before results are conclusive. There is one thing to take comfort in, grapefruit will not damage your health, will boost your immune system due to the hight vitamin C content and should help with your weight loss program.