You might be familiar with the Grapefruit Diet, a low calorie diet including grapefruit on a daily basis. The number of calories in grapefruit make it an ideal diet food.Several versions exist, some of which eliminate entire food groups, allow for unlimited consumption of high-fat, high-cholesterol, or sugar-laden foods, and some are quite rigid as to which foods can be eaten at certain meals. It is believed that the grapefruit contains nutrients that burn fat or otherwise encourage weight loss.

It is also called the Mayo Clinic Diet, but it was not approved by the Mayo Clinic. It came to be associated with the clinic by long-standing rumor and fax machine distributed lore. There are several versions of the diet,  It is considered a fad diet for these reasons, and for the fact that there is no food or combination of foods that will guarantee weight loss or burn fat. The Grapefruit Diet also promises weight loss that is too rapid to be considered healthful by experts, and some versions are extremely low in daily calorie consumption, with one plan restricting dieters to as little as eight hundred calories a day. The calories in grapefruit do make it a good diet food, but too much reduction is unhealthy. Reducing overall calorie intake, exercising regularly, and consumption of low-calorie, nutrition-dense foods like grapefruit will lead to weight loss- but rapid, guaranteed results should be considered suspect in any diet plan. Like most diets, much of the rapid early weight loss is due to loss of part of the body’s water content, not burning fat.

Grapefruit is a good choice for dieters. The fruit contains several nutrients essential for good health. The Ruby Red variety contains beta carotene, which supports good eye health and functioning. Red and pink varieties also have the antioxidant lycopene .It is a good source of calcium, for keeping bones strong and folate for healthy pregnancies,  All citrus contains  vitamin C, important to supporting the immune system and maintaining collagen levels, which is key to deterring signs of aging. Grapefruit can be a useful tool in promoting heart health, lowering LDL cholesterol, the type of cholesterol linked to heart disease. The potassium in grapefruit helps regulate blood pressure and other body functions. Another benefit of grapefruit, and citrus fruits in general, is that it contains a lot of water and fiber, which makes you feel full and therefore helps you with not overeating.

Grapefruit is sold whole, canned and in juice form. Sectioned fruit may be in light syrup.There are more calories in grapefruit canned in syrup than fresh fruit, so plan your diet accordingly.  Juice is available sweetened and unsweetened, and sweetened juice usually has more calories and is higher in carbohydrates. A halved or quartered grapefruit can be easily slipped into a sandwich bag for a healthy and affordable afternoon snack or pick-me-up anytime. Please note though that grapefruit juice and medication can be a dangerous mix. Your risk of serious side effects depends on how much grapefruit juice you drink, your age, and the type and dose of your medications. Please contact your physician before adding Grapefruit to you diet.

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