The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet, originally known as the Hollywood diet, is a fad diet that has been around for years going back to the 1920’s. New research released in 2004 by the Scripps Clinic - Nutrition and Medical Research Center in San Diego California - suggests that the juice of grapefruit does indeed positively affect the fat burning process. It’s been shown to reduce the amount of insulin secreted by the pancreas, which in turn lowers blood sugar levels.

The Grapefruit Diet limits the user to 800 calories per day with a complete ban on complex carbohydrates. The diet no-no’s include bread, hot dogs, chili, mayonnaise, coleslaw, salad dressings, and some vegetables such as carrots, celery, potatoes, cucumbers, green vegetables. The list of foods you are permitted to eat contains such things as pasta, meat and fish, dairy products, coffee and tea, fruit, peanut butter, cereals, peppers, spinach and red onions.

The Grapefruit Diet recommends eating one half of a grapefruit or 8 ounces of unsweetened grapefruit juice before every meal. The results of this style of dieting are inconclusive with many experts concerned that at 800 calories per day it is unbalanced, deficient in nutrition, and possibly dangerous to your health with only short term benefits. There are many on-line sites that feature the Grapefruit Diet with promises of weight loss varying from 10 pounds in 12 days up to 52 pounds in 10 weeks, all with slight variations as no one author can claim its creation. This diet should be used with caution as a weight loss tool only and not for overall good health and wellness.