Over the years, variations of the fad diet have
focused on grapefruit, meat, or eggs, according to the
Mayo Clinic. Furthermore, the Mayo Clinic fad diet
could be the inspiration for theAtkins diet. That plan
named for cardiologist Robert Atkins was first
described in his 1972 book,Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolu-
tion. Twenty years later, he updated the plan in his
book,Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. Atkins main-
tained that people could lose weight by eating meat
and cheese, foods that are high in fat. The diet starts
with a two-week ban on starchy items like potatoes,
food made from white flour like pasta, fruit, and most
vegetables.
While the Atkins diet remained popular in 2007,
the Mayo Clinic continued to receive numerous calls
about the Mayo Clinic fad diet. Most people phoned
during the spring, according to the clinic web site. The
callers may be motivated by the desire to quickly shed
pounds before summer. The Mayo Clinic was not
associated with a fad diet, and the medical facility
developed a program of ‘‘healthy-eating principles.’’
The program was detailed in the bookMayo Clinic
Healthy Weight for EveryBody.
Published in 2005, the book provided information
on developing a personalized weight-loss plan. The
Mayo Clinic program called for a combination of
nutritional eating and exercise. This regimen generally
resulted in a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.90
kilograms) per week. The book also advised readers
that maintaining a healthy weight was a lifelong proc-
ess involving a nutritious diet and physical activity.Description
The fad Mayo Clinic diet is also referred to as the
grapefruit diet because grapefruit or unsweetened
grapefruit juice is consumed at every meal. Diet pro-
moters claimed that grapefruit burned fat, resulting in
weight loss. Some diets also called for the consump-
tion of eggs, so the diet was referred to as the grape-
fruit and egg diet. Other elements of the diet included
proteins like meat. The diet specified portion sizes for
some foods. For other foods, dieters could eat as much
as they wanted. Fried food was allowed in most plans.
Thefad dietspromised that the person could eat
until full and would not experience hunger. For that to
occur, the dieter had to follow diet instructions that
included not eating between meals and avoiding all
fruit except grapefruit. The diet also limited the con-
sumption of vegetables. The Mayo Clinic fad diet is
believed to have originated as the Hollywood Diet of
the 1930s.The Hollywood Diet
The weight loss plan followed for three weeks
consisted of the daily consumption of grapefruit. For
21 days, dieters followed a meal schedule of:
A breakfast of half of a grapefruit and black coffee.
A lunch of a half-grapefruit, an egg, cucumber, a
piece of melba toast, and coffee or plain tea.
A dinner of a half of a grapefruit, two eggs, half of a
head of lettuce with a tomato, and coffee or tea.
In some versions of the plan, dieters could eat
small portions of meat or fish. The daily calories con-
sumed each day totaled less than 800.The Mayo Clinic Diet
The Hollywood Diet evolved into the weight-loss
plan known as the Mayo Clinic diet or the grapefruit
diet. The citrus fruit remained a key element of the
numerous versions of the fad diet. Dieters could eat
meat andfats, items that were said to produce the
sensation of feeling full. Fruits and vegetables were
restricted, and the diet was a temporary plan that
generally lasted 12 days.KEY TERMS
Calorie—The nutritional term for a kilocalorie,
the unit of energy needed to raise the temperature
of one liter of water by one degree centigrade
at sea level. A nutritional calorie equals 1,000
calories.
Carbohydrate—A nutrient that the body uses as an
energy source. A carbohydrate provide 4 calories
of energy per gram.
Cholesterol—A fatty substance found each cell of
the human body and in animal foods.
Fat—A nutrient that the body uses as an energy
source. Fats produce 9 calories per gram.
Fiber—A complex carbohydrate not digested by
the human body. Plants are the source of fiber.
Protein—A nutrient that the body uses as an energy
source. Proteins produce 4 calories per gram.
Serum cholesterol—Cholesterol that travels in the
blood.
Trans fats—Short for trans fatty acids, they are also
known as a partially hydrogenated oils. The acids
are formed when hydrogen is added to liquid veg-
etable oils to make them more solid.Mayo Clinic diet (fad diet)