Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet

The Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet is not endorsed by the Mayo Clinic. In fact, it is a fad diet and is not recommended by them in any way.

The Mayo Clinic does not endorse the Grapefruit Diet

What Makes the Grapefruit Diet a Fad?

A balanced diet includes foods from a variety of categories including dairy, meat and/or beans, grains, etc. When choosing a diet, it is important to remember that no one food provides your body will all the nutrients you need. A balanced, healthy diet lets you get everything you need by eating a variety of foods.

Diets based around one food whether it be grapefruit, cabbage soup, cottage cheese, tuna or any other single item are not healthy. It can get confusing because these foods are good for you. What makes a fad diet unhealthy is that a single food, even a healthy food, does not meet nutritional requirements needed to promote good health. Balanced nutrition requires nutrients from across the spectrum of categories found on the food pyramid.

Foods Allowed On the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet

If you look at the foods allowed on the grapefruit diet, you will see that it does not provide the variety needed for good nutrition. They try to get around this by suggesting you follow the diet for two days and then eating whatever you want for two days. You are to follow this two days on and two days off pattern until you reach your goal weight. Here is the suggested menu:

Grapefruit Diet Menu (Unofficial Mayo Clinic Diet)

Breakfast:

• 1/2 grapefruit or 4 oz. unsweetened grapefruit juice
• 2 eggs (prepared in any way)
• 2 slices bacon

Lunch:

• 1/2 grapefruit or 4 oz. unsweetened grapefruit juice
• Unlimited meat prepared in any way
• Salad with dressing of your choice

Dinner:

• 1/2 grapefruit or 4 oz. unsweetened grapefruit juice
• Unlimited meat or fish prepared in any way
• Vegetables cooked in butter or any seasoning

Bedtime Snack:

• 1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass skim milk
• Vegetables from the following list:
  • Bell peppers
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Green onions
  • Lettuce
  • Peas
  • Radishes
  • Red onions
  • Spinach

Guidelines for the Grapefruit Diet

The menu shows the basics of following the grapefruit diet. This diet does not encourage portion control, but allows you to eat the selected foods until you can't eat another bite. This doesn't teach lifestyle habits to help keep weight off when you return to regular foods. The premise behind this diet is that the combination of foods you eat will burn fat, and the diet gets its name because grapefruit is an important component said to "act as a catalyst" that jumpstarts this fat-burning process.

Along with eating your grapefruit or juice the following guidelines apply:

• Caffeine – Caffeinated beverages should be limited to one cup with your meal. The reasoning behind this is that caffeine affects insulin balance and deters fat burning.
• No eating between meals – Instead of eating small amounts throughout the day, this diet encourages eating until you're stuffed at meals which means you won't be hungry between meals.

The following foods are not eaten at all on this diet:

• Sugar
• Starches
• Desserts
• Bread
• White vegetables
• Sweet potatoes

Mayo Clinic Healthy Eating Guidelines

While the clinic does not endorse the so-called Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet, it does offer healthy eating guidelines. Along with the following guidelines they recommend controlled portion sizes and regular exercise.

Include more of these in your diet:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grains

Limit your intake of these foods:

• Sweets
• Saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol
• Salt
• Alcoholic beverages

Compare the Two

When you take a look at the two sets of guidelines the distinction is clear. The healthy diet guidelines are something you can follow for the rest of your life. They don't encourage overeating, and they do encourage eating across a broad spectrum of foods. Many diets claim to be associated with the Mayo Clinic, but in truth most of them are nothing more than fad diets.

• Fruits and Vegetables that Lower Blood Pressure
• Diet for a Pear Shape
• Summer Snacks
• Fast Food Statistics
• Healthy Food Myths Quiz

• The Lemonade Diet
• Weight Watchers Points Calculators
• 1200 Calorie Menus
• Weight Watchers Points
• Weight Watchers Restaurant Points

• I Need a Copy of the Three Day Diet
• Atkins Grapefruit Diet
• Grapefruit Diet Menu
• Grapefruit Juice Diet
• Egg Grapefruit Diet