Grapefruit Diet Review: Fad Diet

Diet Type: FAD Diet - Low Calorie, High Fat

If you put yourself on the Grapefruit Diet we strongly urge you to do the following:

• We are concerned about the high fat protein sources recommended in the grapefruit diet, replace with low fat meats in place of their recommendations.

• Drink at least 5 glass of our supplement fruit drinks (75g protein only 350 calories for the day) with the recommended water each day to ensure you are getting a low fat protein source with the vitamins and minerals needed. We even have a Grapefruit protein drink mix!

• See your local doctor first before starting the grapefruit diet

• Maintain a minimum 1200 calorie to 1500 calorie intake per day

One of the diets most frequently asked about by visitors to our web site is the “Grapefruit Diet”. Although we do not support the use of fad diets (for Dr. Padla's approach see our Sample Diet), the overwhelming number of requests for information about the grapefruit diet compelled me to provide a short review of this diet plan.

Throughout the years one myth that has continually gained more and more attention, is that grapefruit contains magical “fat burning” properties. I searched the web for scientific data to support this claim. To tell you the truth, I actually hoped my skepticism was unfounded. How great would it be to find out I could eat two to three grapefruits each day, and forget about spending hours in the gym each week. To my dismay, I found exactly what I expected. There is absolutely no scientific proof to back up the claims made by the author of the Grapefruit Diet. The truth of the matter is there are no valid studies which clearly support the diet use. For the most part, there are a vast number of web sites devoted to either promoting the “magical” benefits of the this diet or warning against its use.

The Grapefruit Diet: Basic Principles

The diet plan is laid out as a one-week diet, and includes consuming two servings of grapefruit (or grapefruit juice) per day. The example diet that is shown on the Florida Citrus Grower’s web site places calorie consumption between 800 to 1200 per day. If you are doing the “Hollywood Grapefruit Diet”, you’ll get even fewer calories per day (approximately 400). Any diet that puts you into a starvation mode with extremely limited caloric intake is going to make you lose weight, and the grapefruit has no bearing on that. It’s unhealthy to eat at this low of a caloric intake, and while you may lose a couple pounds, the moment you go off of the diet you are going to regain the weight. Why? Because you haven’t truly changed your eating habits, and the crash-diet told your body you were starving, so it slowed down its metabolism. These two factors combine to add up to a long-term weight gain, not loss, overall. For these two reasons alone I would have to warn against the use of this diet.

The Grapefruit Diet Rules:

1. You must drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily (64 oz. total per day).
2. At any meal you may eat until you are full.
3. You must eat the minimum listed at each meal.
4. You cannot eliminate anything from the diet.
5. Don't add or reduce the amount of grapefruit or juice. The grapefruit is the catalyst that starts the “magical” fat burning process in motion.
6. Cut down on coffee, it affects the insulin balance that hinders the burning process (maximum 1 cup per day).
7. Don't eat between meals.
8. You can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables.
9. Do not eat desserts, breads, and white vegetables or sweet potatoes.
10. You may double or triple helpings of meat, salad or vegetables.
11. Eat until you are stuffed. The more you eat the more weight you will lose.
12. Stay on the diet 12 days, then stop the diet for 2 days and repeat.
    

Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several reasons I would recommend avoiding this fad diet. The diet is lacking in sufficient vitamins and nutrients, such as iron and calcium. Also, the plan contains far too few calories, as well as failing to help a person to change their eating habits which is the most important component associated with permanent weight loss. (To see Dr. Padla's approach check out our Sample Diet)

If you do choose to give this diet a shot, I strongly warn against doing so without consulting your regular physician. I would also encourage you to take a multivitamin and maintain a minimum of 1200 calories per day. My personal opinion would be to substitute in different fruits in place of the grapefruit, to avoid monotony. Although grapefruit is very healthy and low-calorie; it truly doesn't possess any “magical” fat burning properties. In my opinion, the grapefruit is simply a part of this diet, not the key to it. I also would be concerned with the high fat associated with the various protein sources identified for use in this diet (hot dogs, bacon, red meat, cheese…). This can be avoided by substituting protein sources that are low in fat, but still adhere to the general principles of the diet. For example, listed on our web site are sugar free, high protein fruit drinks. They are available in multiple flavors and consist of 70 calories, 15 g protein, 1 g fat, 1 g carbohydrate. Using four or five packets per day (with your daily water intake) will provide you with an adequate daily intake of protein, without increasing your consumption of fat.

Dr. Padla

As with all of the information provided on this web site, it is to be used for informational purposes only. Utilizing any information provided in this article does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Failure to consult your regular physician prior to implementing any diet plan can be hazardous to your health.