What is The Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet?


Chopped grapefruit on wooden chopping board

If you’ve spent any time on social media or news sites lately, you’ve likely run across references to the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet. You may have even gotten an email about this groundbreaking diet. So, what is the premise of the Grapefruit Diet and how does it work? In this article, we will uncover the truth behind this food routine and determine if it is a good option for people looking for Mayo Clinic diet recipes.

There is a diet called the Mayo Clinic Diet made by this esteemed organization which has nothing to do with grapefruits. The Mayo Clinic Diet was released in late 2016 to “help you lose excess weight and to find a way of eating that you can sustain for a lifetime.”

What is the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet?

The email that covers the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet talks about a routine of food choices for weight loss. It relies on grapefruit, salads, vegetables, and a decent amount of filling fats and meats. The plan is not about changing your eating habits for long-term changes but starting for fast, short-term weight loss results.

The Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet relies on the unscientific claim that grapefruit contains an enzyme that boosts your metabolism. The burning of fat gets faster, so you lose weight quicker with increased grapefruit consumption. Some people say this diet works. Others report side effects like lack of focus, dizziness, fatigue, and stomach pains.

Details About the Grapefruit Diet

For up to two weeks, a person should be strict with this diet to kick-start weight loss. This fad diet relies on every meal being a combination of meat and a vegetable plus grapefruit in some form. For example, breakfast would be eggs, bacon, and half a grapefruit with lunch being salad, chicken, and a glass of grapefruit juice.

There is general freedom in portion size but following the diet means you can’t eat certain foods. Eliminated foods are sugar, white onions, celery, pasta, bread, potatoes, and only one caffeinated drink per meal.

Does the Grapefruit Diet Work?

The truth behind the diet is the fact that it is not a real solution but a fad that isn’t based on facts. There are versions connected to Mayo Clinic online, and all of them are not nutritionally-balanced options. This is not a real diet and does not work in the long-term.

A person might lose weight on a diet made up of grapefruit juice just because of a decrease in caloric intake. This is a “fad” diet though because it revolves around one food and doesn’t provide a real solution to your eating habits.

What is the Mayo Clinic?

The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical research group and clinical practice that offers “education and research, providing whole-person care to everyone who needs healing.” Some of the best doctors in the world work and research at Mayo Clinic.

From studying diets to focusing on the rarest genetic disorders in the world, research coming out of Mayo Clinic changes science and medicine. With this in mind, refer to the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet as another piece of innovation coming out of this nonprofit medical research group.

Who Made the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet?

There is no clear answer to this question at this time. Mayo Clinic declines any knowledge of this diet and does not claim its creation. No one at this Minnesota-based nonprofit organization created the Grapefruit Diet. Besides no one at Mayo has ever been on the record stating grapefruit is a reliable weight loss solution.

Mayo Clinic also wishes to remind readers of its website that diets can be dangerous. Always consult with a physician before taking part in any eating regimen.

The Mayo Clinic Diet: Based on the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid

In the year 2016, Mayo Clinic released their Mayo Clinic Diet based on the Healthy Weight Pyramid. The pyramid is an updated version of the regular food pyramid which also helps you learn about managing calories, losing weight, and not going hungry.

In a press release from the Mayo Clinic, they state “the goal is to make simple, pleasurable changes that will result in a healthy weight that you can maintain for the rest of your life.”

Who Should Try the Mayo Clinic Diet

The Mayo Clinic Diet suits people of all types. They have released a list of people that would benefit from the official diet developed by Mayo Clinic (all based on research and clinical experience. Try this eating plan if you want to:

  • Learn about your lousy lifestyle habits
  • Gain healthy lifestyle habits
  • Stop counting calories, fats, and getting rid of food groups in your diet
  • Want a diet you can use for a long time
  • Want to follow a diet developed by medical professionals
  • Care about reducing health risks and staying active

Phases of the Mayo Clinic Diet

The purpose of dieting with a recommendation from the Mayo Clinic is to lose weight, sustain healthy eating, and to change routines/break habits.

There are two phases of the Mayo Clinic Diet:

  • Step 1: Lose It! The first stage is a stricter dietary program designed to jump-start your weight loss with a six to ten-pound weight loss in the first two weeks. This safe and healthy option helps you get started with healthy eating. Phase 1 enables you to discover good habits and bad habits that hurt your diet.
  • Step 2: Live It! The second phase of the diet is the Live It! A stage where weight loss occurs at one to two pounds weekly until a goal weight is achieved. Healthily getting to a goal weight helps you make the right long-term decisions. After reaching your goal, learn about keeping your weight steady.

The Mayo Clinic Food Pyramid

You know the food pyramid designed by United States Department of Agriculture? The Mayo Clinic Food Pyramid is a redesign of this outdated style from the USDA. The pyramid is different with its recommendations to people depending on caloric intake. Also, the pyramid includes a small circle inside the bottom section to remind eaters to add physical activity.

For example, the numbers for an 1800 calorie diet are five or more vegetable servings, five or more fruit servings, seven carb servings, six protein servings, four fat servings, and 75 calories of sweets a day. Learn more about portions of your caloric intake here.

The Mayo Clinic Food Pyramid also offers a nice list of visual cues to use when cooking or eating for portion sizes. For example, one cup of broccoli is the size of a baseball. You don’t need a measuring cup to eyeball their recommendations.

Reviews of the Mayo Clinic Diet

Now that the Mayo Clinic Diet has been tested by The U.S. News Health Division, it ranks fourth in Best Diets Overall. It ranks well as a diet for diabetes, is easy to follow, and even promotes long-term weight loss. The U.S. News says, “You’re in good hands with this diet, developed by one of the country’s highest-profile medical centers. The experts liked the plan’s unique eating pyramid which promotes foods with low energy density like fruits and veggies.”

Mayo Clinic Diet Recipes: An Example

The Mayo Clinic keeps a treasure trove of their recipes available to the public. Whether you need a daily snack or a holiday dessert, look no further than the Mayo Clinic’s main site. A sample lunch recipe is:

Grilled Chicken Salad

  • 2 cups of mixed greens
  • 4 ounces of grilled chicken breast
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and chopped green onions
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil with 2 tables of red wine vinegar
  • Cracked black pepper

Once you sign up for the diet, there are more recipes available. Get used to the foods approved by the Mayo Clinic Food Pyramid for building your recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Conclusions About the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet

More than anything, this diet is designed to work in the long-term. For people looking to make a dietary change that helps you eliminate bad habits and encourages good ones, try the Mayo Clinic Diet. They do recommend starting a diet once you are under the supervision of a physician.

You may have seen the Mayo Clinic Grapefruit Diet online, but this is a fad diet not based on fact. Any diet that claims to help you lose weight thanks to a miracle ingredient is likely not backed by a prestigious nonprofit organization. Improve the way you feel about your eating habits with the Mayo Clinic Diet, a weight loss program based on a lifestyle change. Make smart food choices for a lifetime if you decide to take part in this diet plan.

Image credit: Anna Wlodarczyk on Unsplash

* YourShapeYourLife.com as an Amazon Associate may earn from qualifying purchases.

Recent Posts