No one knows who first created the Grapefruit Diet, but since it first emerged it's drifted in and out of being vogue, usually brought back into the spotlight by a celebrity on a diet who decided to try one of the dozens of variations. The mainstay of the diet revolves around eating half a grapefruit or drinking an eight-ounce glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice before each meal. Proponents of the diet claim that grapefruit has a fat-burning enzyme, helping you eliminate fat, and their claims may not entirely off. A study from a 2006 issue of the ‘Journal of Medicinal Food' revealed that people who ate half a grapefruit before each meal for 12 weeks lost 3.6 pounds. Likewise, people who drank a serving of grapefruit juice three times a day lost 3.3 pounds. However, many individuals in that study lost more than 10 pounds. Researchers suggest that grapefruit may lower insulin, which is a fat storage hormone. Yet it's important to note that in this study, individuals ate healthy, balanced diets and could exercise up to three times a week. Note that this is substantially different from the Grapefruit Diet, which takes an unhealthy approach to weight loss and will inevitably set people up for diet failure.
Is the Grapefruit Diet healthy?
No. Although eating a half a grapefruit or drinking a glass of grapefruit juice with each meal is a good way to sneak in three daily servings of fruit, eating only 800 calories a day total is neither sustainable nor healthy. It could put you at risk for nausea, dizziness, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies that could cause problems with hair loss, your nervous system, immune system and bones. Also, if you're on certain medications, including some antidepressants, immunosuppressant drugs, and drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arrhythmias, grapefruit could have negative interactions with your medications and prescriptions.
What do the experts say about the Grapefruit Diet?
"Any diet that's this low in calories and cuts otherwise healthy foods is extremely unhealthy and should be avoided," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., L.D., national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and a registered dietitian with the Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute in Chicago. Blatner also can't say that grapefruit is truly the magical component here, for any time your caloric intake drops this low, you will lose weight. "Yet as soon as you return to regular eating, you'll gain it all back -- and then some," she adds.
Who should consider the Grapefruit Diet?
Nobody
Bottom Line
The possible weight loss potential of grapefruit aside, this diet works only because it restricts calories to severely low levels. Even if you are sedentary, it's impossible to function on 800 calories a day. And the fact that exercise is discouraged is never a good thing.
Checklist
Cost: Moderate. Depends on the price of grapefruit or juice at the time. In a week’s time, you’ll need 10 1/2 grapefruits or 168 ounces of grapefruit juice.
Meals Provided: No.
Diet Duration: Although there are variations of the diet, most of the plans last 12 to 18 days.
Fitness Requirements: None. In fact, one version suggests no exercise because you won’t be eating enough calories to support physical activity.
Time Commitment: Little.
Eating Out: Difficult. Because grapefruit isn’t on the menu at every restaurant, this would be challenging.
