Grapefruit Diet? Not quite!

Okay, so that ridiculous grapefruit diet was just that... ridiculous. That doesn’t mean you should completely write-off this wonderful citrus fruit! Grapefruit is actually a whole-body food that is great for you in plenty of ways. Many people don’t realize that grapefruit can protect your skin, improve your breathing, and it really does help you lose weight (though not in the way prescribed by the infamous Grapefruit Diet).

Grapefruit, like other citrus fruits, has high levels of d-limonene in the zest of its peel. D-limonene is a compound that appears to help suppress skin-cancer cells. But don’t worry. In order to get these healthful benefits, you don’t have to eat the grapefruit peel and all. What you can do instead is grate a bit of grapefruit peel over salads or grilled fish. Likewise, you can add some of the zest to hot tea or water.

Another added benefit is that grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C. This top-notch antioxidant may lessen the breathless, gasping symptoms of adult asthma. (Obviously grapefruit will not replace other asthma medications you may be taking, though it may bring some relief, along with great taste and a wonderful smell!)

Okay. Those are some nice benefits of eating grapefruit -- but is that really so incredible? No, not really; but I’ve got one more thing to share with you. For years, many doctors, nutritionists, dieticians, and fitness professionals have slammed on the Grapefruit Diet. Heck... Weird Al even wrote a song about it! But here’s the big shocker: some very well-respected scientific muckity-mucks did a study and found that when a person began each meal with half a grapefruit (or even a glass of grapefruit juice), he or she lost about half a pound a week. Big deal, you say? Well, consider this: the people in the study lost that half a pound without dieting! Nor did they spend extra hours in the gym or doing cardio or blasting through high intensity intervals. In fact, they didn’t do anything differently except eat a boatload of grapefruit.

Now, before you click away in disbelief, let me explain that there is a seemingly valid scientific explanation for the weight loss. Apparently grapefruit contains specific compounds that lower insulin levels in most people, which tends to promote weight loss. And lest you think that the results are scoff-worthy, consider this: Eat about a dozen grapefruit a week, don’t change anything else that you’re doing, and you could weigh 26 pounds less next year!

Somehow I think you’ll be sick of grapefruit long before that happens, but you’re welcome to try! My advice is that you get active, eat unprocessed foods (including plenty of grapefruit and other fruits), get plenty of rest, and drink water by the gallon. Oh... and keep reading the TrainingTheTemple blog for plenty of inspiration, hints and tips along the way!

Train hard and pray harder,
Brandon