Grapefruit Diet Plan
There have been all sorts of strange diet fads throughout history and one of the weirdest is the grapefruit diet plan. It is not known who started it, but it has been around for a while, coming in and out of vogue periodically. So, if you are trying to lose weight, should you try the grapefruit diet plan or not? Well, only you can make that decision, and this article aims to give you the tools to do so.
Since its creator is unknown, the grapefruit diet plan is uncentralized and has no exact description. It appears differently in different sources, but generally consists of the following elements: short time period, low carbohydrate intake, high protein and fat intake, and grapefruits. The diet is typically followed for 10 to 12 days, after which a break is taken before resuming the diet for another term.
Except for the grapefruits, this plan has many similarities with the famous Atkins diet. In the grapefruit diet plan you would usually start the day eating as much protein–eggs, bacon–as you like, along with black coffee and either half a grapefruit or a glass of grapefruit juice. The key is to limit carbohydrates. It is also recommended that the dieter drink their quota of eight glasses a day.
Like the Atkins diet, the grapefruit diet plan is known to produce results–at least in the short term. It is sometimes claimed that this success is due to some enzyme or other that is present only in grapefruit. This is untrue. Nutritionists have come up with a couple of theories why the grapefruit diet plan works. One is simply the reduction in caloric intake that sometimes results from following the plan. People often end up reducing their daily intake down around 1000 calories per day. An amount that, in most people, is not enough to replace what they burn from merely breathing. Any severe restriction of caloric intake is likely to result in similar results. The problem is that as soon as the dieter resumes their old eating habits, the weight will come back.
Another theory about why the grapefruit diet plan works it that eating half a grapefruit with every meal helps to suppress insulin and fill up the eater so that they consume less. This, again, is not due to some unique enzyme in the grapefruit. It is, rather, their high fiber content and low glycemic index.
So, it turns out there are some good aspects to the plan–eating grapefruit and drinking water. Otherwise, the diet seems to be built on shoddy science and borderline superstition. Still, if someone were to follow a modified version of the diet, say, eating half a grapefruit with every meal, but instead of only eating protein, maybe they could simply strive for balance. A well-balanced diet that was slightly lower in calories than their current diet is might help with sustainable weight-loss. Grapefruit is truly a great food; it is packed with nutrients such as Vitamin C and beta-carotene (only pink grapefruits), and has a lot of fiber. If you want to try the grapefruit diet plan then please do so, but if you choose not to, maybe you should still try the grapefruit.