I prefer the pink grapefruits over the white/yellow ones - I find that they taste sweeter. Also, make sure you're not eating the membranes which are bitter and not very tasty (you're probably not but just in case you were trying to eat the grapefruit like an orange...)

Depending on where you live, it might be hard to find good grapefruit in grocery stores. I thought I hated grapefruit... until my mother split with me a shipment of Ruby Red grapefruit she ordered (probably from Harry & David or Hale Groves). They were fresh and juicy, sweet but tart, and absolutely irresistible! Every winter, she shares them with me, and every year I find I'm looking forward to them more and more.

(That doesn't answer the tacit question of whether it's worth forcing yourself to eat something you don't enjoy for its putative health benefits. But BOY OH BOY do I love grapefruit now --- good grapefruit, in season.)

I agree with Faith. If you don't like it, don't eat it. There's not just one thing that can help you in weight loss--so skipping the grapefruit is not dooming you to weight gain. Instead, try eating lots other other fruits and veggies, and drink water to help you feel full.

I agree with Faith, but I do recommend trying better grapefruit. I hate the whiteish yellow stuff. The dark pink ones are yummy, though.

Some varieties of grapefruit are sweeter than others. My friend who is diabetic will put Equal or honey on hers and broil them for a breakfast treat. But I bet you could get similar results by drinking a glass of water before a meal, a mug of green tea, subbing in another fruit, or starting meals with a green salad with light dressing. Good luck!

The reason eating half a grapefruit before a meal helps you lose weight is because you simply begin eating--and digesting--sooner. Therefore you feel satisfied earlier in your meal and don't eat as much. Any fruit or vegetable would work. The key is high fiber and low calories. Try an apple or a banana instead, if you prefer, or even just an orange.

I don't like grapefruit either! You shouldn't eat something you don't like. This reminds me of a quote from Julia Child that was linked yesterday - "I’m awfully sorry for people who are taken in by all of today’s dietary mumbo jumbo. They are not getting any enjoyment out of their food."

Try salt. Assuming it is mostly the bitterness you don't like, salt should help suppress the bitter taste and make it less repulsive (hopefully!).

i second the salt suggestion.
I believe Alton Brown suggests salt on grapefruit in an episode of his.

I hate grapefruit--it just tastes so bitter to me that I can't help but screw up my face (friends have been known to serve it as part of, say, a fruit salad just to see the look on my face). A nutrition science friend said that grapefruit is like cilantro in that some people can't stand it. After that, I have stopped trying to like grapefruit and have moved on to other things.

IMHO---I don't think eating grapefruit before every meal is practical. But from experience, I believe the best way to eat a grapefruit is in the morning, before anything else has hit your tastebuds---not even coffee or tea. I also think it is better at room temperature, not cold. Ruby Red grapefruit is the very best variety so see if you can find it. And good luck.

I eat a small pink/red grapefruit everyday. Try supreming (segmenting) it. Makes a HUGE difference. This entails removing all of the white pith and membranes--those are the bitter parts. It's difficult and messy to do at first, but you get the hang of it after a few tries. You'll be removing a little of the fiber and nutrients but it's much more appealing this way.

Is drinking a grapefruit equivalent? I have an awesome grapefruit drink (much preferable to eating one) - see my cookbooker review here.

i agree with many of the comments above - if you don't like grapefruit, try subbing other fruits and veggies that can help satiate you. i think i've heard that an apple before a meal can help curb appetite, too. eat somethine healthy that you like and you're more likely to stick w/ it.

i, too, am a fellow grapefruit hater. for me, the only palatable way to have grapefruit is with sugar on top, under the broiler, as faith suggested. not good for the diet :)

Yea, like others, if you don't like a food don't force yourself to eat it for weight loss. Faith said it dead on- just filling something in your stomach- water is easiest- makes you fuller sooner. But if you're trying to lose weight because you heard eating grapefruit before food drops pounds, I'd say you may just want to re-evaluate your meals and food choices to just incorporate more veggies and healthful things that will fill you without packing on weight.

I was a little dubious about the Scripps study on grapefruit/weight loss because it was funded by the FL Dept. of Citrus.

But I did find it interesting that grapefruit had a much more pronounced effect on people with insulin resistance. If that's part of your struggle with weight loss, I recall that those who ate/drank grapefruit didn't have as much of an insulin spike after their meals. That makes sense to me. Because of this, I wouldn't say it's JUST about filling you up since watermelon might fill you up, but it would also cause your insulin level to spike quite a bit. Grapefruit would not.

The study focused on people who ate the fruit OR drank grapefruit juice OR took a grapefruit pill. I believe fresh was better than juice and both were better than the pill, but even the capsule people lost significantly more weight than the placebo people.

So if you really don't like grapefruit (even Ruby Reds!?) try the juice, which is the best, sweetest part (i.e. no pith!). Or just go to a health food store and get some capsules.

ha ha, KkatMpls.

I'll repeat the suggestion for the Ruby Red type grapefruits--they're delicious, and the only ones I'll buy. And I don't go for this slicing in half and eating with a spoon business--I peel the whole thing, then pull apart the segments and remove their membranes and eat the inside. It's a somewhat time consuming process, so I can see why it would slow down your eating and help you fill up.
If that doesn't work for you, maybe just go for an orange.

I like mine with a little sugar or truvia and a sprinkle of kosher salt. And Ruby Red is best. But I agree, if you don't like it don't eat it. Although if you keep trying it here and there, eventually your taste buds will grow accustomed to the offending item.

I love this recipe and make it often. granted, the grapefruit is cooked, but its so delicious that I make it on a regular basis. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/roasted-salmon-with-shallot-grapefruit-sauce-recipe/index.html

Well, liking grapefruit isn't a problem for me, but there are a couple of grapefruit "salads" that changed how I eat it. Both involve segmenting the fruit and removing it from the bitter flesh.

One way I enjoy it, particularly in the morning, is mixed with sliced banana. The sweetness and creaminess of the banana really cuts the acid.

The other is similar, mixing grapefruit with sliced avocado, and a drizzle of poppy seed dressing. Nice at lunch or before dinner.

Try these if you're really determined to do the grapefruit thing, but I have to agree with other posters though - don't force yourself to eat something you don't like.

The issue is satiety, it's the fact that grapefruit (alone, no other citrus fruit has this) contains a chemical the flatlines your insulin response with the result that less of the calories you have consumed get stored as fat and more of them get burned as instant energy.

You don't have to eat the grapefruit and you don't need a lot. The juice of half a grapefruit, which you could squeeze by hand, is enough to get the benefit.

The one downfall, however, to using grapefruit is that on the days when grapefruit is consumed, there is some evidence to show that no LOSS of fat is happened. So, you may not get sugar spikes from the carbs and starches you eat and therefore have a lower insulin reaction, you also won't be creating a ketogenic state that is required to convert stored energy and therefore lose fat.

ISN'T!

The issues ISN'T satiety.

Gah!

Agree with everyone one who says not to focus on grapefruit. There's no one magic thing that will make you lose weight. Take a holistic approach, eat sensibly, keep active, and the weight will drop. If you force yourself to eat something you hate everyday, you're much less likely to stick to your plan and lose your motivation.

That said - if you want the same effects of grapefruit without the icky taste, here's what researchers say about grapefruit's effect on weight loss: The low glycemic index, high fiber, and low calorie nature of the fruit may reduce insulin levels and help dieters feel full and eat fewer calories.

So, substitute with something that also has low glycemic index, low calories and high fiber and that you do like! For instance, the fruit and veg in this low GI list meets the requirements: http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/lowglycemicfoodlist.htm

Me, I just ignore the charts and simply eat most/all of my fruit/veg at the beginning of every meal and it works great for me in controlling appetite and making sure I get my 5 portions a day.

Do pummelos have similar health benefits? They taste like perfectly sweet grapefruit.

Greek yogurt honey and grapefruit is one of my favorite breakfasts. the honey sweetens the grapefruit. you still get that grapefruit taste but its more delicate with the honey and the richness of the yogurt

I used to hate grapefruit for all the same reasons. I was the one pouring sugar on it to try to choke it down. But then I heard eating a citrus fruit everyday was helpful during weight loss, especially grapefruit. I bit the bullet and tried to add them to my diet. I forced myself to eat it, grimacing and puckering all the way, and what do you know, over time, I grew to love it!

Like stated above, pomelos are a great place to start because they are sweeter.

I do agree with hyzen above, I find I enjoy grapefruit much more if I peel it like an orange, peel off the membrane and just savor the juicy flesh.

And yes, Ruby Red or pink grapefruit is much easier to tolerate than white.

I will say, in my journey losing 150 pounds, the weeks I ate grapefruit showed better losses than the weeks I didn't. I don't know whether it was coincidental or not, but I'm not going to question it.

Honestly, if you don't want to put on weight the only real thing is not to eat too much (crap).

Another thing to keep in mind with grapefruit is that it can affect a lot of drugs, so if you are taking medication check it before you eat/drink grapefruits.

Just don't bother! I adore grapefruit, but if you hate it that much why would you force yourself to have some?

No matter what studies say, half a grapefruit isn't going to help you lose kilos. Instead, just have an apple before your meal, skip the mayo/soda and dessert. :) Very likely to be more effective!

Nina79, good point! I can't eat grapefruit b/c of meds. Wish I could, though!

There are a lot of very ignorant comments in this thread about weight loss and eating. People who are overweight do not always get that way by eating food which is not nutritious or drinking sugary sodas. You can get fat off of anything, including healthy food.

These sorts of assumptions and attitudes contribute to a punitive atmosphere about food and weight. You assume such people are careless and gluttonous and that judgment helps no one.

Drinking water before a meal is a good way to fill yourself up to help with weight loss. Call me crazy, but even the minute amount of calories in grapefruit would be a waste to eat if you don't *like* grapefruit.

Weight watchers used to suggest mixing about 2 T of honey with some crystallized ginger (but I always used plain old ground ginger) and brushing onto the grapefruit half before broiling it. I LOVE it this way!

If you dont like it...then quite simply dont eat it! There are a million other ways to maintain and/or lose weight.

That being said..as a kid, for breakfast we used to cut the pit out of a ruby red and sprinkle it with dark brown sugar. SO GOOD!

I love fresh or store bough grapefruit juice but i cannot eat the actual fruit. I say drink the juice... moderately of course or try another fruit. Watermelon is mostly water that should curb your appetite.

Other studies show that eating fruit before a meal slows digestion. So maybe try a different tact, like eating small meals more frequently so that you don't get very hungry, and drinking lots of water.

repulsive huh? this may be the reason it helps loosing weight - you loose your appetite after one bite. :D :D

Studies recently have indicated that grapefruit helps with weight loss and reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These are not attributes listed for other fruits. For all three reasons, I am trying to eat grapefruit every day, but I hate it and I'm happy to see some helpful suggestions on this site. I do find that half a grapefruit before a meal helps a lot in terms of satiety, a very important issue because weight loss can bring down cholesterol and triglyceride levels by itself.