Grapefruit: An Ideal Weight Loss Diet Food

By Elizabeth Walling

For years, rumors have floated around about how grapefruits can encourage weight loss. There have even been a number of “grapefruit diets” that require eating grapefruit with every meal. After decades of fad diets, studies have been conducted to discover the truth behind this rumor.

Grapefruit was thought to help the dieter by speeding up the body’s metabolism. However, studies are now showing that grapefruit influences weight loss in an entirely different way. Grapefruit actually lowers the body’s insulin levels. Lower insulin levels keep the body from storing sugars as fat. Lower insulin levels can also help curb your appetite, since high insulin levels can make you feel hungry more often. Grapefruit is high in fiber and contains very few calories. In fact, grapefruit is actually considered a negative calorie food since it contains less calories than it takes for the body to digest it. Grapefruit also contains high levels of vitamin C, which can improve your overall health.

The most beneficial way to enjoy a grapefruit is simply eating a fresh one. The next best method is drinking grapefruit juice, preferably with high levels of pulp. Pills and extracts do not seem to produce the same results as fresh grapefruit or grapefruit juice.

Even though grapefruit is a healthy diet food, it is not advisable to follow most of the grapefruit diet plans available, at least not for more than a few days. Most grapefruit diet plans include few foods besides grapefruits and may require extreme dieting. Continuing such a plan could lower your metabolism and harm your health. Adding grapefruit to a balanced, low-calorie diet plan that includes regular exercise is a better way to reap the weight loss benefits that grapefruit can provide.

© Doityourself.com 2006