Grapefruit juice holds quite an allure for the dieter trying to find that special fat-burning food. Grapefruit has been credited with magical weight-loss properties by fad dieters for more than half a century. Tufts Medical Center in Boston says there's no proof that grapefruit juice causes weight loss, but it can be a part of a healthy, reduced-calorie diet.
Background
There are many variations of the grapefruit diet, all which advocate drinking grapefruit juice or eating the fruit itself before every meal. The grapefruit diet was introduced in the 1950s, when it was known as the Hollywood diet, according to Tufts Medical Center. Proponents of the grapefruit diet believe the fruit has fat-burning enzymes that boost your metabolism. There's no solid science to back this claim.
Effectiveness
Grapefruit juice isn't a magic ingredient that makes the diet effective -- it's the restrictive calorie count that makes the diet effective. Early incarnations of the Hollywood diet were extremely low in calories. Very low-calorie diets will cause weight loss, but it's only temporary, says the Weight-control Information Network. As soon as you go off the diet, the pounds come back on. Additionally, losing more than 3 lbs. a week on the grapefruit diet is hard on your body, putting you at risk of developing gallstones.
Grapefruit Nutrition
Whole grapefruit and grapefruit juice are good choices if you're counting calories. One 4-oz. serving of pink grapefruit juice gives you 50 calories and no fat, sodium or cholesterol. You also get 80 percent of your daily value of vitamin C and 10 percent of vitamin A. One whole grapefruit has 70 calories and just as much vitamin C as a serving of juice -- as well as 4 percent of your daily value for fiber.
Weight-Loss Solutions
Some diet plans that emphasize grapefruit as a diet food might be nutritionally balanced, according to Tufts. But because there's no evidence to indicate that grapefruit has any special fat-burning properties, you're better off eating a variety of healthy foods, counting calories and increasing your physical activity. You can lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week if you create a daily deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories, either by trimming them from your diet or by burning them in exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine says that if you get more than four hours of exercise every week, you'll have the most noticeable weight loss.
References
- Tufts Medical Center: Grapefruit Diet; Maria Adams, M.S., M.P.H., R.D.; 2011
- Weight-control Information Network; Weight-loss and Nutrition Myths
- American Council on Exercise: Diet Myths Debunked
- NutrientFacts.com: Juice - Grapefruit, Orange, Grape, Cranberry; Red/Pink Grapefruit
- MayoClinic.com; Cutting Liquid Calories Better for Weight Loss?; J. Nelson, K. Zeratsky; April 2009
- Harvard School of Public Health: Healthy Beverage Guidelines; 2011
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