The Grapefruit Diet: An Entire Diet Based On One Fruit?
By Lisa Shanken
January 9, 2016
The Grapefruit Diet (a.k.a. the Hollywood Diet), introduced during the 1930s, is one of the oldest fad diets. It's one of those fad diets (like all of them!) that are just too good to be true. Through a combination of fatty meat, grapefruits and grapefruit juice[2], the Grapefruit Diet allegedly burns fat at high rate. The diet also includes limiting grains, fruit and vegetables. Sound risky? It is... Advocates of the diet claim that it's a "10 day, 10 pounds off diet," but studies have shown it's not only unhealthy, it's also dangerous[2]. Also, can you really picture yourself eating grapefruit all the time, every day of your life? It's just not a realistic regimen for most people.
At least we were able to retrieve a grain of truth from the hysteria. Research by the Scripps team found that obese people who added grapefruit to their diets were able to lose more weight[3] than those who didn't. It was discovered that grapefruit helped people manage their insulin levels, which is good news for diabetics looking for healthy food options. However, it is very important to note that the test group was on a well-balanced diet when they added grapefruit to their meals. They were not on the highly dubious no-vegetable, no-carb diet described above. Which goes to show you that adding fruit to your diet can sometimes lead to pleasant, unexpected results, and that fad diets can never equal a healthy, balanced diet.
[1] Scott, Jennifer R. (2008-11-10). "What You Need to Know About The Mayo Clinic Diet". About.com: Weight Loss. About.com. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
Lisa Shanken
My passion is to help you live your healthiest and most harmonious life, but in a way that’s realistic and practical for you as a unique individual on this planet. My philosophy is all about “balance,” never a diet since a diet is not sustainable for life, aka Kill The Diet.
Mindfulness for Neurodivergent Individuals
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When most people hear the word mindfulness, they imagine sitting still with eyes closed, breathing calmly while thoughts slowly drift away. While I, personally, have been practicing meditation for over a decade, even when I hear this “typical” description of it, I get intimidated and turned off. That traditional image...
History Of The Autism Diagnosis
By Lisa Shanken
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From Disorder to Diversity: A Short History of Autism & Neurodivergence Today, conversations about autism, ADHD, AuDHD, and “neurodivergence” are everywhere. But the rise isn’t in autistic people themselves — it’s in recognition. The people have always been here; what changed is our language, criteria, and willingness to diagnose. How...
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Lisa’s weight loss plan really gave me a new insight to healthy eating and living. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2015. Healthy living/easting/exercise has become very important to me and my family and this program really helped me get even more on the course with this and helped me lose weight.
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When I heard about the 10 Day Weight Loss Challenge, I wasn’t sure if it would be a good fit, since as a physician, I understand nutrition and health (and therefore knew the dangers of fad diets, etc…), and I do my best to exercise (though not always enough). But as a single mother of 2, it’s still very challenging ti “fit in all in” (including cooking healthy meals for my children) due to my busy schedule. And when my time is short, bad habits crop up and weight gain follows.
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Psychiatrist
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Ali S., Boulder, CO
I’ve been through the ringer with different dieting plans through the years. Some helped me lose weight and some didn’t – but it didn’t matter because I would always gain it back. I didn’t know if this 10 day Weight Loss Challenge would be the answer since everyone says they have the “BEST” way to lose weight. But this one seemed to be more doable – like instead of starving myself, keeping track of calories (“been there done that – VERY annoying!”) and things I know I wouldn’t stick to.
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