Grapefruit, pineapple and celery may seem like three separate and unrelated fruits and vegetables, but they have a lot more in common than meets the eye. All have diets named after them and all are classified as "negative calorie" foods, based on a theory espoused in a book published in the 1990s titled "Foods that Cause You to Lose Weight: the Negative Calorie Effect."
Negative Calorie Theory
"Negative calorie" foods contain few calories and are difficult to chew and digest so that you burn more calories eating and digesting them than the foods contain. According to the still-unproven theory, eating some foods creates a "calorie deficit" and results in weight loss. Robert Eckel, who is a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health and Sciences Center, says that the idea of foods having negative calories "defies the principles of science." Ann Coulston, formerly president of the American Dietetic Association, says pineapple, grapefruit and celery are healthy foods, but "people should expend extra calories by adding 10 minutes to their exercise routine, not by chewing or playing games with their metabolism."
Pineapple, Celery and Grapefruit Smoothie
Negative calories aside, drinking a grapefruit, pineapple and celery smoothie may burn fat and remove toxins from the body, along with acting as a natural diuretic, preventing the appearance of cellulite and warding off rheumatic and arthritic pain, according to the Washington Times. To make this smoothie, you will need one sliced pineapple, juice from two grapefruits, two sticks of celery, ½ nopale, derived from a prickly pear and 1 cup of honey. Blend the ingredients with ice in a blender and drink at once to make sure all of the nutrients are retained. Drink this smoothie for seven days while fasting to see the most results, but as with any diet, it is best to use caution.
Grapefruit and Weight Loss
The grapefruit diet, known as the "Hollywood diet," has been around since the 1930s and was extremely popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Grapefruit is supposed to contain a fat-burning enzyme that helps you lose weight. However, eight decades since the diet's inception, no scientific evidence supports such claims. Dr. Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, says that the only reason the grapefruit diet may in fact help people lose weight is because people may cut out other calories to eat grapefruit with each meal, and since grapefruit doesn't contain an excess number of calories, you will lose weight by consuming fewer calories, not because of a fat-burning enzyme.
Pineapple Benefits
The "pineapple diet" has also been referred to as the "Hollywood Diet." Similar to the grapefruit diet theory, you are supposed to lose weight if you eat pineapple before meals, as the enzymes in pineapple are supposed to help your body break down your food and digest it more easily, resulting in weight loss. Also like the grapefruit diet, it has yet to be proven whether the enzymes in the pineapple contribute to weight loss or if eating pineapple results in losing weight because pineapple contains relatively few calories. However, it is known that pineapple contains 50 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, that it can successfully heal rheumatoid arthritis and it is a source of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C.
Celery Benefits
Celery is said to help you lose weight because it is a natural diuretic. Celery could also help you lose weight because it contains apiin, a supernutrient that is supposed to suppress hunger, making you eat less and therefore helping you to weigh less as well. Celery also contains calcium and is an alternative to dairy products for those who want to gain the benefits of calcium without eating animal products. It also contains antioxidants that are supposed to cleanse and detoxify the lymphatic system, healing eczema, and is also a natural healer for headaches, constipation, high blood pressure and inflammation.
Precautions
Grapefruit may interact dangerously with some medications. If you are taking oral contraceptives, consuming grapefruit increases your risk of getting blood clots. One women taking oral contraceptives nearly lost her leg from gangrene after being on a grapefruit diet for three days, according to the Lancet journal. Chemicals in grapefruit can adversely interact with other medications, including simvastatin, an anti-cholesterol drug. If you are any medication, check with your doctor before adding grapefruit to your diet. You should also seek medical advice before launching any weight loss program.
References
- Diet Power: The Negative Calorie Diet
- "St. Petersburg Times"; State Study to Explore Grapefruit as Diet Aid; Julie Hauserman; March 4, 2003
- "The Washington Times"; Star Appeal of Pineapple; Judith Olney; March 8, 1995
- "New Straits Times"; Almost a Cure-all Herb; Pamela Stone and Ron Shaw; Feb. 21, 1995
- "The New York Times"; REALLY?; Anahad O'Connor; July 25, 2006
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