The grapefruit diet is a fad diet, the likes of which seem to come from nowhere every now and then. A grapefruit diet involves consuming large amounts of grapefruit, it is that simple. The theory behind the grapefruit diet is simple enough. The fruit, it is claimed, contains an enzyme that actually helps you burn fat. One thing though with grapefruit diet as with other kinds of fad diets is the lack of substantial proof behind the theory. Grapefruit diet could be said to be one of the offshoots of the modern generations’ obsession with losing weight and appearing attractive.
Grapefruit as such is a healthy fruit. The fruit is known to contain literally no fat at all. It however contains large amounts of vitamin C, antioxidants in the form of beta-carotene, a little bit of sodium, and some fiber to go along with all these nutrients. However, nutritionists advise against this kind of fad diet, because a diet based on only fruit is considered nutritionally unsound. Grapefruit diet may help people reduce total calorie intake, but on the flip side it may not be able to supply you with an ideal number of nutrients. Needless to say, a balanced diet consisting of all the essential nutrients is needed for sustaining good health. Research has also shown that eating large amounts of grapefruit often causes diarrhea.
Critics point out that the grapefruit diet is like any other mythic fad diets, which come and go every now and then. Since it is important that you eat a balanced diet, it is better that you don’t eat much of anything, including grapefruits. You can, for instance, take a healthy helping of grapefruit, but along with other essential nutrients which are not found in the fruit. Balance is the key here. Just in case you want to try out the grapefruit diet, to be on the safer side, consult with your personal physician or dietician and ask him for suggestions about what is the safe amount of grapefruit that you can consume and what are the other things that you need to consume along with it for leading a healthy life.