Grapefruit

[E-Lo]

Has anyone heard anything about having a grapefruit in the morning with a high fat breakfast as part of Atkins? Doesn't this go against the rules of Induction? :nono:

[LilaCotton]

I remember someone said a friend who had supposedly been on Atkins told them they should have a half grapefruit with every meal, but that is definitely not according to the Atkins WOE, and absolutely not on Induction. :)

[mb99]

Atkins reccommends half a red grapefruit as being a very low GI fruit you can introduce in OWL after your up to adding strawberries etc... it's on the website.

Although half a grapefruit has about 7 carbs they are 'good' carbs - and even better if you balance it out with a high fat breakfast to delay absorbtion. This is all on the website.

I have a grapefruit sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to eat it! But I can't leave my breakfast omlette for fruit!

[LittleAnne]

I remember hearing about certain fruit that would cut through the fat and help you lose weight. Unfortunately there is no such thing. What has been said is very true. Any fruit you eat should be eaten with a protein or fat source to increase the glycemic index and slow its digestion down. I now have 2 pieces of fruit a day, one with my lunch and another in the evening, usually with Greek yoghurt - readily available in the UK.

[cs_carver]

More and more interactions with various prescription meds--none of mine, so I have never noted the names, but I think they may be some of the various heart meds. Mess with blood levels. I know that grapefruit leaves a powerful hangover-type feeling in me, and I have to stay away from it, Atkins or not.

Check out Joe Graedon's website or column in the paper--he talks about grapefruit interactions a lot.

don't know if it would affect any vitamin levels, besides the vitamin C and bioflavenoids it has itself.

[adkpam]

Grapefruit can react with common antihistamines, but most of the bad reactions came from people drinking the juice, which is much more concentrated.
People who are low carbing should avoid all juices, since it is a concentrated sugar substance with little fiber to balance it, compared with the actual fruit.
The less processing, the better, is always a good rule to follow.

[potatofree]

The Mayo Clinic Diet may be what they had in mind. It calls for a serving of grapefruit before each meal and is generally low-carb if I remember correctly.

Grapefruit does react with certain heart/blood pressure meds, certain antidepressants, and seizure meds. My son, for example is on Tegretol for seizures, and if he ate grapefruit, it'd cause a surge in the levels of his meds in his bloodstream, making him VERY sick.

A pharmacist I know decided he would outsmart this effect, and didn't take his b.p. meds one morning, and proceeded to enjoy a half grapefruit he had been craving....and within the hour, felt like he'd been "hit by a truck". He told me this as a warning to NOT let my son have grapefruit!

I read an article somewhere that just the SMELL of grapefruit can help curb your appetite. I got some grapefruit-peppermint aromatherapy bath gel from B&Bworks, and while it IS energizing, I don't know about the rest...

I wonder about grapefruit extracts sold in pill form. Anyone tried these?