Grapefruit is a low-calorie food which may help you lose weight. Besides being low in calories, it is also high in important nutrients, such as fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Although it is not typically unhealthy to include grapefruit in your diet, you should not follow fad diets which require you to eat a very low number of calories to drop the weight.
Features
Grapefruit is considered a low energy density food states the MayoClinic.com. This means that you can eat a larger portion of grapefruit and only consume a small number of calories. A single serving of grapefruit is one half of the fruit. When you eat ½ a grapefruit, you are consuming only 38 calories.
Effects
Grapefruit is not only low in calories, but has a very high water content. The fruit is made up of approximately 90 percent water, according to the MayoClinic.com. You can eat a large portion of grapefruit and feel full afterward. This can decrease your daily caloric intake and help you lose weight.
Considerations
A fad diet, called the Grapefruit Diet, requires you include a serving of grapefruit at every meal. At breakfast, you eat two eggs, bacon and grapefruit juice. For lunch, you have ½ a grapefruit and salad with meat. Lunch is made up of ½ a grapefruit, meat or fish and vegetables. A glass of skim milk is allowed before bed for a snack. The diet is very low in calories and should not be followed for long-term sustained weight loss.
Expert Insight
Grapefruit was found to promote weight loss in a 2006 study performed by Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Research at Scripps Clinic in California. During the study 91 obese patients were given fresh grapefruit juice, grapefruit capsules or a placebo. At the end of 12 weeks, the fresh grapefruit juice group lost a total of 1.5 kg, the grapefruit capsule group had lost 1.1 kg and the placebo group had lost only 0.3 kg.
Warning
Certain individuals on prescription medications should not consume grapefruit as part of their diets. Grapefruit may cause potential drug interactions, according to Fitness Magazine. For instance, when you take cholesterol medications, grapefruit may prevent the liver from breaking down the medication. This may lead to toxicity and kidney failure.
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