The grapefruit diet has been around for a long time. It is not clear who first popularized this dietary protocol. It’s fairly easy to understand what this eating regimen entails. This is what I am going to discuss first. Obviously we all know that this diet is going to involve the consumption of grapefruit. But ‘when and how much?’ is the first question that comes to mind. Basically, with each meal, the idea is for the person on the diet to eat half a grapefruit, usually at the beginning of the meal. This is alleged to provide a fat-burning enzyme that helps the dieter lose weight. Unfortunately there has not been any scientific study so far that has proven the result of this “special property” of grapefruit, so the diet may be noticing more than rumors. That being said, there have been some studies on the health benefits of grapefruit that seem to show that adding grapefruit to the foods we eat can have positive effects on our health and help us lose weight if that’s what we’re interested in. But rather than these effects being attributed to a mystery enzyme, the researchers point to grapefruit’s low glycemic index, high fiber content, and low calorie content as more likely factors in its effectiveness.

The grapefruit diet is supposed to last for 12 days and half a grapefruit is eaten with each and every meal during these 12 days. Furthermore, what is required is not just adding grapefruit to the diet. It is easy to find details of the foods that can be eaten during the grapefruit diet if you do an internet search. However, I will briefly mention some points about the foods that are going to be consumed. There is a lack of carbohydrates in this diet, for example, potatoes, bread, pasta, and rice. Dieters are encouraged to eat as much meat and fish as they like at lunch and dinner. It is similar to the Atkins diet in many ways but with the addition of grapefruit. My personal opinion is that this type of diet is not good for our body. It is far from balanced and the idea that it is possible to eat as much meat and fish as we want but also lose weight seems strange.

Personally, when I started researching this diet, I was intrigued by its possibilities. I have also recently read a lot more about grapefruit and its health benefits. They are rich in fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A, being a low-calorie fruit. All this is fine. However, we don’t need to be on the “grapefruit diet” to get the benefits of eating them. Simply eating more as part of a balanced diet is, in my opinion, a better way to go.