You’ve seen online diets before, but have you seen one on Facebook? The social network is quickly becoming the hub for people’s social lives, so why wouldn’t you make it the point of entry for your weight loss program? That is exactly what Dawn Jackson Blatner has done in partnership with Florida Grapefruit. They’re calling it the Grapefruit Active Lifestyle Meal Plan and, as you can probably guess, the diet centers around grapefruits, be it whole fruit or 100% juice.
By visiting their page at Facebook.com/JuicyScoop you can download a free eBook, a 62-page PDF that outlines the program with daily meal plans, tips and recipes. Blatner, a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics, has organized a balanced, healthful eating plan that will lend followers about 1600 calories each day. There are three meal plans to choose from:
- Standard with dairy, meat, fish, and eggs
- Vegetarian with dairy and eggs
- Vegan with no animal by-products
We spoke with Blatner about the new program, which she said is plant-based with the option for chicken or steak (this is fitting as she is the author of The Flexitarian Diet). As for building a weight loss plan around the grapefruit, she says the fruit has “a bold, invigorating flavor… that provides natural energy.” It can be an acquired taste for some, but Blatner says they’ve incorporated the flavor subtly and won’t often have you eating it straight from the peel.
Within each of the three programs you’ll see a daily meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, one snack, and the direction to select a snack of your choosing from the “Grapefruit Snacks List.” An example of a day on the Standard Grapefruit Active Lifestyle Meal Plan is:
- Breakfast: Egg & spinach scramble with toast and cafe au laid
- Lunch: Chicken parmesan wrap and mixed green salad w/ grapefruit vinaigrette
- Dinner: Zucchini and mushroom pasta with ricotta
- Snack 1: Pear and cheese
- Snack 2: Choice of one of a Grapefruit Mojito Frostee, Grapefruit Honey Almond Salad, Grapefruit half, or 8oz 100% grapefruit juice
Each recipe name is linked to the full recipe later in the book.
Grapefruit can raise flags for those on certain medications. Blatner told us there is no interaction for grapefruit and OTC medications. Some prescription medications may interact and that patients should consult their physicians to learn if the Grapefruit Active Lifestyle Meal Plan is appropriate for them.
This isn’t the first time grapefruit has been used as the focal point of a diet. The wildly popular 17 Day Diet uses the fruit in most of its meal plans. The eponymous Grapefruit Diet has been a fad diet for quite some time, in which people consume a balanced meal complemented by grapefruit at each meal. This version of the Grapefruit Diet doesn’t allow for more than a dangerous 800 calories per day.
The Grapefruit Active Lifestyle Meal Plan provides a healthy (and safe) 1600 calories per day, with flexibility for individual needs. The biggest downside we see is the complete lack of exercise guidance. Only one mention is paid to the topic of exercise, within the FAQ section. In response to “Do I need to exercise?,” Blatner says “The average person should strive for at least 150 minutes of activity each week as part of a healthy lifestyle.” She then recommends participating in activities you enjoy, and provides a link to the CDC.Gov’s Physical Activity for Everyone page.
All said, The Grapefruit Active Lifestyle Meal Plan provides the structure for a healthy eating plan that can set you up for planning your own meals. Following the recipes and guidance in the free eBook will save you from counting calories, and allow for a few indulgences.