The Citrus Secret FOR SIMPLE WEIGHT LOSS

News: Compounds in citrus fruits break down fat, helping women blast 263% more belly fat. Here, easy ways to get the perks

- LISA MAXBAUER

Mention the good old-fashioned “grapefruit diet” and women of a certain age will all nod (or cringe) in recognition. Over the past 90 years, the weight-loss approach has seen different iterations. Some adopters ate only whole grapefruit for a period of time, while others consumed a half grapefruit before each low-calorie meal. Either way, the plan always promised to help you shed 10 pounds quickly. And while there is powerful slimming science behind this citrus fruit, the diet more often made us hungry, cranky and deficient in a well-rounded assortment of nutrients. Thankfully, science has uncovered a healthier, easier and more delicious way to get the perks of this powerful family of fruits…

Recent research pinpoints a special combination of citrus-based antioxidants—namely naringin, hesperidin and neohesperidin— proven to reshape our body. Turns out, these plant compounds are a big reason the Mediterranean diet is so successful, why French women don’t get fat and why Californians living in the land of citrus often have a lean, healthy glow worthy of Beach Boys ballads.

“Citrus lovers will be delighted to know that fat-fighting bioactives are found in oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons and limes,” explains William Li, M.D., author of Eat to Beat Your Diet, who has served on the faculties of Harvard, Dartmouth and Tufts. He says citrus compounds work by not only breaking down existing fat in the body, but also preventing it from forming in the first place. Dr. Li says, “They turn down the volume control of the genetic switches responsible for creating more fat cells.” Bonus: “They can suppress appetite” and slash sweet cravings.