Atkins Grapefruit Diet

From LoveToKnow Diet

If you're checking out this article, you're probably curious about the Atkins Grapefruit Diet and for good reason. The popular fad Grapefruit Diet has been around for decades, and the nutritional approach followed by the Atkins Diet has also been practiced since the 1960's. But for anyone who understands the basics of these diets, you have to wonder how the two could ever mesh.

Grapefruit Diet Claims

The idea behind adding grapefruit to your diet is that eating this tropical fruit at each meal is supposed to just melt those unwanted pounds away. These claims are based on the idea that a chemical is produced when you eat grapefruit. However, the Atkins diet counts carbs and limits fruit. A look around the official Atkins website shows no mention of an Akins Grapefruit Diet. Yet there is a diet out there cashing in on both the Atkins name and the Grapefruit Diet's popularity. This diet supposedly incorporates grapefruit into "their" famous Atkins diet. The question is, if it isn't listed on the Atkins site, what diet are they really talking about?

Misleading Information on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet

Not much information exists on the Atkins Grapefruit Diet. What it does claim is to be based on that same chemical reaction theory as the Grapefruit Diet with the magic enzyme burning unwanted fat. Guidelines for this diet include eating grapefruit, swallowing grapefruit capsules or drinking grapefruit juice before or at each meal.

This all sounds good until you look at the guidelines for the Atkins Diet. Let's start with the Induction Phase. Here's what you can have:

lean protein such as chicken, fish, lean cuts of beef, eggs and more
good fats
leafy greens
sweet Atkins snacks

Notice anything missing? That's right, there's no fruit…not even grapefruit. If you check their acceptable food list for the Induction Phase, you'll see what is allowed spelled out clearly. No fruit—no fruit juice.

Those promoting the Atkins Grapefruit diet say that it fits into "their" basic diet plan. This leads people to think they are talking about THE Atkins Diet. However, they recommend eating five portions of different fruits and vegetables everyday along with your grapefruit. The Atkins form of the grapefruit diet supposedly fits with the "basic diet plan theory" because it is:

high fiber
high protein
low sugar
no trans fats

Now compare this to the foods to eat on the Atkins plan. Do the two mesh? Not really, yet they spin the diet to sound like it works hand-in-hand with the Atkins Diet because it allows the dieter to choose foods they want for each meal. In this way, they say grapefruit can be added anytime you wish. But what about carbs?

Grapefruit and Carbs

Choosing any foods you want for your meals sounds good, until you look back at the Atkins plan and see that it allows 12-15 net carbs per day. You can choose the foods you want, but the idea is to count carbs and stay within the guidelines. Considering a cup of grapefruit juice has about 8 carbs and a cup of grapefruit sections has around 18 carbs, I'd say there is a conflict with calling this the "Atkins" Grapefruit Diet.

Popularity of the Atkins Version of the Grapefruit Diet

For years the grapefruit has been looked at as an ideal diet food because it tastes good and is relatively low in calories. Grapefruit can be incorporated into most diet plans if they are calorie restricted. However, the Atkins diet doesn't count calories. It counts carbs. The real magic behind this diet is the fact that those who originated it are capitalizing on the Atkins name and the grapefruit diet popularity.

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