The Grapefruit Diet Plan Reload
Ever tried the grapefruit diet?
Turns out there may be some good research to back up grapefruit's reputation as a fat fighter.
In a recent study at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, researchers studied the effect of grapefruit on weight loss and found that eating half a grapefruit before a meal can actually help people drop weight.
The researchers studied the effect of grapefruit capsules, grapefruit juice and real grapefruit. All three seemed to help, but the folks eating the real grapefruit got the best results.
The mechanism isn't completely understood, but the results speak for themselves.
As an added benefit, grapefruit contains cancer-fighting compounds like liminoids and lycopene, and red grapefruit has been shown to help lower triglycerides. And half a grapefruit has only 39 calories.
The Scripps Clinic Study
The 2004 study led by Dr. Ken Fujioka at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found in a 12-week pilot study that on average, participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost 3.6 pounds and those who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. Additionally, many patients in the study lost more than 10 pounds.
Dr. Fujioka found that grapefruit diet appears to reduce insulin levels and thus, affects blood sugar regulation. Bear in mind that pancreas secretes insulin in response to the amount of carbohydrate ingested (also affected by the glycemic index and glycemic load of a food or meal) and that grapefruit by itself is considered by some to be low glycemic.
Another theory is that the fruit's low glycemic index is able to help the body's metabolism burn fat.
The Grapefruit Diet Menu
Whenever 'grapefruit' is mentioned below, the dieter has the choice of eating 1/2 a grapefruit or drinking 8 ounces of unsweetened grapefruit juice.
Breakfast: grapefruit + 2 eggs prepared any way you choose + 2 slices of ham
Lunch: grapefruit + salad with the dressing of your choice + all the meat you want
Dinner: grapefruit + salad with the dressing of your choice OR a red or green veggie prepared with butter/spices + meat or fish + 1 cup of coffee or tea
Bedtime Snack: 1 skimmed yogurt
