Fad weight-loss diets have been popular at least since the 1970s. Most fad diets allow people to eat only certain foods, and dieters usually lose weight by following a fad diet, but they almost always have difficulty keeping it off. The grapefruit diet is a popular fad diet that people have been following for years.
History
The grapefruit diet began in the 1930s, according to grapefruit-diet.org, as a jump-start for weight loss, and people following the diet lost large amounts of weight in a short time. The diet gained momentum in the 1970s, when it became popular to eat grapefruit with every meal. The meal plan has changed somewhat over the years, but the general premise remains the same.
Diet
The grapefruit diet is a 12-day plan that recommends eating half a grapefruit or drinking 8 oz. of grapefruit juice before every meal. Advocates claim that the enzymes in the grapefruit will help burn fat. In addition, the diet discourages eating very hot or very cold foods or any foods cooked in aluminum pans and it mandates separating starch and protein meals by at least four hours.
Meal Plan
The meal plan consists of three meals and one snack per day. For breakfast, the plan recommends grapefruit or grapefruit juice with eggs and bacon. Lunch consists of grapefruit with a salad and any meat. Dinner is grapefruit, a salad with a red or green cooked vegetable with butter, plus meat or fish. For a snack, the plan suggests a glass of skim milk.
To prevent deficiencies, the diet plan suggests choosing small amounts of food from each of the food groups. They suggest three or four servings of carbohydrate foods, four to six servings of fruit, two to four servings of vegetables, one or two servings of dairy foods and two servings of protein daily.
Grapefruit Facts
Grapefruit is a healthy, nutrient-dense food that is low in calories and high in fiber, beta-carotene and vitamin C, notes the Merck Manual of Medical Information, but it, cannot burn fat as the grapefruit diet claims. Nor are grapefruits a "negative calorie" food, explains RD411.com. According to Heidi Silver, research assistant at Vanderbilt's Center for Human Nutrition, the low-calorie grapefruit eaten before a meal may help with early satiety and prevent consumption of excessive calories and therefore aid in weight loss.
Bottom Line
The grapefruit diet is essentially a low-calorie diet, containing about 800 to 1200 calories a day, based on the provided meal plan and pattern. The diet is unbalanced and unsound, advises Merck. In addition, grapefruit and grapefruit juice alter the effects of a number of medications. People considering the grapefruit diet as a means of weight loss should consult with their physician before starting the diet.
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