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Thinking of giving the Grapefruit Diet a try?
The Grapefruit Diet has allegedly been around since the 1930's, and apparently originated in Hollywood, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the Hollywood Plan. Commonly viewed as a fad plan despite it's longevity, the Grapefruit Diet promises dramatic weight loss through increased intake of the tropical fruit or its juice.
Studies have seemed to back up this claim, although the specific reason why the Grapefruit Diet seems to work remains chiefly unknown. So what exactly is the Grapefruit Diet? And can it be viewed as safe?
The Grapefruit Diet works over 18 days, with slimmers eating a low fat diet supplemented with either half of the fruit at every meal or a glass of the juice three times a day.
In 2004, Dr. Ken Fujioka ran a study over 12 weeks where participants who ate the fruit lost an average of 3.6 pounds per week and those who drank the juice lost an average of 3.3 pounds. This seemingly backs up the claims of the slimming plan.
There are a variety of possible explanations for this result. One such explanation is that the fruit seems to lower insulin levels and effect blood sugar balances, meaning that slimmers will be less likely to crave sugars. Another possibility is that because the fruit has a low glycemic index, it's able to encourage the body's metabolism to burn fat rather than store it.
This plan is often mistakenly attributed to the Mayo Clinic, who in actuality view the plan as unbalanced and possibly damaging. If you want to give this plan a try, be sure to monitor your nutritional intake to make sure you're getting the recommended daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.
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