Eggs and grapefruit are a good nutritional combination. Eggs are an
important part of the diet and iron is better-absorbed in the presence of
vitamin C – which is why grapefruit and oranges, whether as whole fruits
or fruit juice, should always be taken when eating eggs.
They are also good for a diet because eggs are filling and high in protein.
All fruit provides a healthy dose of sugars for energy, giving you the right
amount of sweetness to offset any cravings for sugar. Do not worry that
you will be eating eggs and grapefruit to the exclusion of everything else.
The first three days are firm, but thereafter I will introduce more interest
so you have something to do in the kitchen if you want to, and you will be
able to join others in your diet without necessarily making them aware that
you are on a different regime.
Eggs
Eggs are one of the best foods in the nutritional and diet larder.They
contain the full complement of eight essential amino acid protein building
blocks.These are important for growth and development and, especially
in the interests of this diet, they are packed full of vitamin B12, B6, folate,
selenium, vitamin E and iron.
Forget the health scares about cholesterol – cholesterol in foods does not
have a significant effect on cholesterol in your blood.
Egg white
Try to eat mostly egg whites with the addition of one whole egg to
omelettes and scrambled eggs.This keeps the calorie content very low,
even with the addition of a little oil for cooking as an egg white has only
10 caloriesThe white of an egg contains more than half the egg's total
protein, niacin, riboflavin, chlorine, magnesium, potassium, sodium and
sulphur.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit are the perfect complement to eggs. Grapefruit are a
carbohydrate, almost totally fat-free (0.1mg per fruit) and protein free,
but the most marvellous thing is that grapefruit juice helps you absorb the
iron from your eggs (or from meat etc: you should always drink grapefruit
juice with an iron-rich food.) which will stop you feeling maintain your
alertness and energy levels.
The science behind the grapefruit diet
Research carried out by scientists at the Nutrition and Medical Research
Centre at Scripps Clinic in San Diego,America, has found that adding
grapefruit and grapefruit juice to your diet really helps weight loss.
The study included 100 obese people who were divided into three groups.
The first group ate half a grapefruit before each meal three times a day.
The second group drank grapefruit juice before each meal.The third group
received no grapefruit. No other changes were made to their diets.
After 12 weeks, those who ate grapefruit with each meal lost, on average
3.6lb. Meanwhile, those who drank grapefruit juice three times a day lost
3.3lb in the 12 weeks. By comparison, the grapefruit-free participants lost,
on average, only 0.5lb.
But weight loss wasn't the only health benefit.The research also found the
grapefruit-consuming participants had lower levels of insulin, a hormone
that regulates blood sugar levels and fat metabolism.
Suggestions for success
1 Start each meal with a glass of ruby grapefruit juice or half a grapefruit
- it's virtually fat free and contains just 35 calories.
2 Make a Florida cocktail and serve as a starter - peel and segment half a
grapefruit and one orange and mix with a little unsweetened grapefruit
juice.
3 Add grapefruit to salads - it goes well with crab, prawns, chicken, avocado,
red onion, celery, radicchio and spinach.
To drink
• You may drink a glass of fresh, unsweetened grapefruit juice (200ml) any
time you feel hungry, but do remember that it contains calories so must
not be drunk with abandon!
• 6 glasses of plain water with lemon or orange slices should be drunk
each day.
• A little alcohol may be drunk on days 4-7 but it is not compulsory and
if you do have a glass, remember that you had just drunk 100 calories.
