What is the grapefruit diet?

The grapefruit diet has been around for a long time. It is unclear who first popularized this dietary protocol. It’s pretty easy to understand what this eating regimen entails. This is what I am going to discuss first. Obviously we all know that this diet is going to involve the consumption of grapefruit. But ‘when and how much?’ is the first question that comes to mind. Basically, with each meal, the idea is that the person on the diet eats half a grapefruit, usually at the beginning of the meal. This is alleged to provide a fat-burning enzyme that helps the dieter lose weight. Unfortunately, there has been no scientific study to date that has proven the results of this “special property” of grapefruit, so the diet may be noticing more than rumours. That said, there have been some studies on the health properties of grapefruit that seem to show that adding grapefruit to the foods we eat can have positive effects on our health and help us lose weight if that’s what we’re interested in. But rather than attribute these effects to a mysterious enzyme, the researchers point to grapefruit’s low glycemic index, high fiber content, and low calorie content as more likely factors in its effectiveness.

The grapefruit diet is supposed to last for 12 days and you eat half a grapefruit with each and every meal for these 12 days. Also, what is required is not just adding grapefruit to the diet. It is easy to find details of the foods that can be eaten during the grapefruit diet if you do an internet search. However, I will briefly mention some points about the foods that are going to be consumed. There is a lack of carbohydrates in this diet, for example potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. Dieters are encouraged to eat as much meat and fish as they want at lunch and dinner. It is similar to the Atkins diet in many ways but with the addition of grapefruit. My personal opinion is that this type of diet is not good for our body. It is far from balanced and the idea that it is possible to eat as much meat and fish as we want but also lose weight seems strange.

Personally, when I first started researching this diet, I was intrigued by its possibilities. I have also recently read a lot more about grapefruit and its health benefits. They are rich in fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A, being a low-calorie fruit. All this is fine. However, we don’t need to follow the “grapefruit diet” to reap the benefits of eating grapefruit. Simply eating more as part of a balanced diet is, in my opinion, a better way to go.