The Grapefruit Diet is a short-term diet used for fast weight loss. The diet consists of eating half a grapefruit or drinking eight ounces of unsweetened grapefruit juice before every meal.

The Grapefruit Diet has been around since the 1930s. It was once believed that the enzymes found in grapefruit could burn away fat. This theory has since been disproved. WebMD: Souring on the Grapefruit Diet

The content of this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for more information before embarking on the Grapefruit Diet.

Grapefruit is low in calories, sodium, and free of fat. http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/diet-fitness/grapefruit.html There are no calorie restrictions for this diet and you are encouraged to eat as much grapefruit as you want. With each meal, you are allowed a restricted diet of foods along with either a 1/2 grapefruit or 1 cup of unsweetened grapefruit juice. Some researchers say that grapefruit encourages weight loss by reducing insulin levels, while others maintain that consuming grapefruit with every meal is a low calorie way to fill up which makes you eat less overall. In general, those on the diet lost an average of 3-4 pounds over a 12 week period (some losing over 10lbs) http://eating.health.com/2008/04/18/the-grapefruit-diet/

Any diet that restricts you to eating a lot of any one food item is dangerous and restrictive. Grapefruit lacks many important vitamins and minerals, protein, and fiber. Being encouraged to drink high amounts of coffee (caffeine) also add to the dangers of this diet.http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/diet-fitness/grapefruit.html?pageNum=1#2

Lynn Grieger, RD on the Grapefruit Diet "...there's a big difference between eating grapefruit within an overall healthy, balanced diet vs. following the standard grapefruit diet, which I don't recommend for anyone."

The content of this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for more information before embarking on the Grapefruit Diet.