Fruit Diets - Fact or Summer Fantasy

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Summer is here so even if we can't shop at La Boqueria in Barcelona, we can find wonderful fruit locally. And looking at the incredible selection, we wonder if we should try the Fruit Diet, or at least juice it for a while. This is an activity to jump start weight loss that may work for you in season. It is not a sustainable behavior change. But if you want a short term solution, this 3 day diet, could satisfy your craving for results.

The best known fruit diet is the Jay Robb Plan. You can download the diet for $5, but it is free at WebMD. Robb is personal trainer and certified clinical nutritionist, not a registered dietitian. His theory involves "toxins" and fat burning. To follow the diet using Robb’s supplements, a minimum order of $40 of protein powder is required.

Day 1: Drink protein drinks (Robb's or one from the suggested ingredients on his site) followed by a chaser of 8-12 oz water, every two hours from 8am - 4pm . Dinner is 3-6 cups of raw vegetable salad, with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive or flax seed oil or 1/2 avocado, plus half a lemon or lime and 3-6 ounces lean protein or egg whites.
Day 2: Fruit every two hours followed by water. Dinner is the same "food" as Day 1.
Day 3: Repeat Day 2.

Make sure you can be close to a bathroom to facilitate the toxin flushing. At least half of the 9 – 10lbs promised weight loss will be water weight.

Summer's abundance will allow you to sample a plethora of different fruits, or you can keep it simple with a few of your favorites. Buy big specimens that take time to eat or prepare. Choose a large apple to slice, mango that you need to peel, and grapefruit that you have to section. You don't want consumption of scarce resources to be fast.

Another cleanse programs you can try is the Clean Program by Dr. Alejandro Junger. Dr. Junger has all the credentials that Jay Robb lacks and similar conclusions. His 21 day program is also based on fruit and supplements and is available as a Renew for $250 or a Rebuild for $425. In addition to the products, this program offers free support through community, email, or phone. There are also manuals and a video guide.

Let's face it, the diet is seasonal. Even in Spain fresh fruit is not ubiquitous in winter. Winter is really about vegetables. There are just as many claims about raw vegetables as fruit. The improved Weight Watchers Diet, reviewed by WebMD's Kathleen Zelman, MPH,RD, and director of nutrition for WebMD and the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, allows you to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want. The much talked about Huron Slow Juicer will let you juice your way to health using raw vegetables. When run long enough, it gets hot and will make your raw veggies into soup.

“Toxin” flushes and “fat-burning” solutions to weight loss are all over the internet. American Dietetic Association spokesperson Elisa Zied, MS, RD, says "there is no medical evidence that fruits have ingredients capable of dissolving so-called toxins." Your liver, kidney and colon are in charge of that.

If you enjoy following recipes and cooking creatively, or leading a normal life, this way of eating will not work for you long term. For long term success,  enjoy what you eat and try the DASH diet or Mediterranean diet.