While on a diet like the 5:2 Fasting Diet, your goal is most probably to lose some of that extra fat, right? Well, here’s a suggestion that you may not have heard of before that you might want to consider – the grapefruit and coffee combination.
With the Fasting Diet Plan, we limit the calorie intake two days a week, which helps your body burn off more fat than normal. But if you want to go beyond just limiting calories, and start planning to add fat BURNERS into your diet, there is no easier way than the grapefruit and coffee combo.
We know that Grapefruit is already an excellent low-calorie food (and high in vitamin C) and that black coffee increases your metabolism (the energy and ‘jittery’ feeling you sometimes feel after drinking coffee), but when you combine these two, you get a fat-burning monster.
This idea was made popular after The 4-Hour Body book (see it on Amazon here) came out, publicizing to a large audience the benefits of drinking grapefruit juice with coffee.
The basic concept is that certain enzymes in the grapefruit help to increase the half-life (or length) of the coffee’s fat burning/metabolism increasing effects. Essentially, combining these two drinks (or a solid grapefruit if you have time!), is like drinking extra coffee for the metabolism increase, but with the added bonus of the nutrition of the grapefruit.
Try it out for a while. I really like the taste of a black coffee after a big glass of grapefruit juice.
Note Before Trying…
If you’re going to try this grapefruit and coffee combo with grapefruit juice from a bottle or carton, definitely do your research at the market, as many grapefruit juices are not pure and made from concentrate with lots of added sugar. Try to find one that lists the grapefruit and water as the first two ingredients.
Bonus if you can find pure grapefruit juice with no added sugar. Also, watch the calorie count on the juice if there is added sugar. If you have access to fresh grapefruits and juice your own, then this would be the best way to go.
Hey, are you sure any kind of commercial grapefruit juice is effective? After all, if it’s in a bottle it’s been pasteurized, heated, cooked. Enzymes are destroyed by heat. So, bottled or canned grapefruit juice may just be empty calories.
Hi Delphine,
Thanks for your question. Canned fruits and juices provide similar amounts of vitamins and minerals compared to their fresh equivalents. Fruits are usually frozen or canned very soon after harvesting,locking in their nutrients so the vitamin and mineral content is preserved. However you are correct in saying that many commercial fruit juices may not be as healthy or effective. Just the same as not all fats, or sugars or types of breads are equal neither are fruit juices. Many commercially made juices whose primary ingredient is ‘made from concentrate’ will most likely have had many of the health benefits stripped back and possibly have a lot of added sugar. So doing your research when at the grocery stall is advised. Check out the labels of the fruit juices and aim to get freshly squeezed with the pulp and good stuff still contained within and make sure there is no added sugar.
Yes you are correct if you do not take the time to look at the quality of the juice you are buying then perhaps it can be viewed as ‘just empty calories’. Thank you for brining this important fact up and making as all aware to be more conscious of the juice we are buying and to always go for fresh is best!
Sarah
really useful – thanks
I’m going fresh direct from the fruit
Yes I tend to agree – like most foods fresh will always be better
Coffee and grapefruit works..it did 4me and its fantastic
Hi Helen, Glad to hear that you tried this fat burning mix, it’s a little unusual but if you are prepared to kickstart your day and can stomach the acidity of the grapefruit and the black coffee it can be a powerful mix.
I have grapefruits in our yard that grow the size of a softball so eating fresh grapefruits without the added sugar is easy for me to do. Remember use fresh grapefruits or juices that have no added sugar ( I personally believe fresh is best as the enzymes will be at the optimum levels)
To your health
Sarah
Hi, i have heard a lot about it and i wanted to try it too..but the only issue and problem
Is i hate black coffee too bitter for me.
So i was thinking with grapefruit juice Can i have a
Room temperature coffee so i can drink it in one go
Will that be ok?
Hi Seinam
Yes I understand that black coffee is too bitter for many people myself included. Try it with the grapefruit as the strong citrus and slight sweetness from the fruit may tone down the bitterness for you. Try it both cold and hot and see what is your preference there is no harm either way.
To your health
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I too don’t like black coffee so like to have a skim milk latte at breakfast. Would this still be effective do you think?
Hi Kim
Having skim milk in your coffee is fine.
Having skim milk in your coffee and grapefruit mix may result in the milk curdling as soon as you pour it into the coffee and grapefruit mix. So although I have never tried it, I would advise against it.
Many people add milk to the coffee to take away some of the bitterness. Why don’t you try the coffee and grapefruit mix and see what you think? The grapefruit has a sweet and tart flavour which takes away from the strong bitterness that black coffee can often have.
Try it and see. Do you let us know your thoughts
To your health
Sarah
Hi
Iv been having fresh grapefruit and black coffe every morning for nearly 10 days and lost 11lbs , and eating 3 hours after it works this combination
Hi Rukhsar
What an awesome result! So glad that you saw such amazing results from this sneaky trick. Black Coffee and grapefruit is such a strong combination for some people, finding the coffee too bitter and the graefruit a little sour/ tart, but if you stick at it you can train your taste buds and the results can be there for those who persist.
Thanks for sharing your results and encouraging others to give this a try
To your health
Sarah
I dont like any kind of coffee would it work if i take green tea instead ?
Hi Darlene
I do not believe it will but you can try it and let us know
To your health
Sarah
In the past 2 months I had red grapefruit juice (I squeeze it myself) and coffee almost every morning without knowing that it has a powerful effect on weight loss.
Last week I went to the gym and weighted myself and I was surprised to see that I have lost 4 kg. Moreover, it is almost all from my belly and I haven’t lost any muscle mass. Body fat has dropped from 24% to 20 so it seems I am on the way of getting a six pack if I keep on going with the grapefruit/coffee combo.
Hi Shadi
Thanks for sharing your results, this is an awesome result from such a very simple technique. I hope you are sharing this with all you know!
Are you continuing to follow the fasting protocol for the 5:2 diet or are you now in more of a maintenance phase?
Do share we would love to know more
To your health
Sarah
Can I have pure fresh grapefruit instead juice? or how many ounces of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice do I need?
Hi, can you just eat the grapefruit (I like to peel like an orange, then eat the sections – bonus – a bit more fiber), and drink the black coffee along with it – or, is it imperative that the grapefruit be juiced? If so, may the juice and coffee be mixed, or should they be drank separately? Thanks!
The taste together makes me sick; couldn’t I drink the coffee and eat the fruit after (or the other way around), to Avoid the Taste?