The Grape Cure?!?

I think you all know by now that I adore the grape. I simply can’t get enough of its sweet, natural  goodness that explodes onto your taste buds with a mere crunch. And, after that crunch—my taste buds are waltzing in a wondrous state of love.

BUT, no matter how strong my feelings are for the grape I—in no way—can endorse the grape diet or grape cure.

I bet you’re wondering where this came from. Well–I read Maggie Bullock’s article, The Grape Cure, on my way from San Fran to Boston a few weeks ago and it stuck  in my mind like a wad of pink bubble gum on a black shoe. Then, GGB kept getting found via searches for “The Grape Diet.” Hence, I was compelled to share some interesting findings with you. I tell ya—you learn something new every day…

The Grape Cure?

The “grape cure” may be interpreted in different ways depending on the cure/detox/diet, but what each has in common is that there is a set period where a person eats ONLY grapes! Articles I’ve read call this:

• The Grape Diet
• The Grape Cure
• All-Grape Detox Diet
• A Grape Cleanse

Originally, this so called “grape cure” was popularized by Johanna Brandt, a naturopath from South Africa, who claimed that the “cure” abolished her stomach cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, she came to the US in 1927, opened the Harmony Healing Centre in New York City, and began promoting the treatment. In 1928 Brandt wrote The Grape Cure to promote her grape-laden, cancer-abolishing diet (if it was only that easy…). According to Stephen Barrett, MD,  Brandt’s diet had 5 phases:

1. Fasting for two or three days, during which only cold water is consumed. A daily enema is also given.
2. After the fast, a diet of only grapes is followed for one to two weeks. One to three ounces of grapes are consumed every two hours during the day (seven meals a day). Water could be consumed as needed.
3. Fresh fruits, tomatoes, and sour milk or cottage cheese are then added to the diet.
4. A variety of raw foods are then introduced.
5. A mixed diet is begun. This consists of one kind of fruit each day for breakfast, a cooked lunch, and a salad for supper.

Quick Reality Check in the words of The American Cancer Society

An exclusive grape diet is unhealthy and does not supply the body with adequate amounts of protein and important nutrients. Grape seed extract is believed to be safe, but additional research is needed for confirmation.

Despite Brandt’s written words in The Grape Cure

Under the Grape Diet, [the disease] should run its full course within a month or six weeks. The patient loses weight to an extent that would be alarming if he did not understand the principle of the Cure. While on the first stage of the Grape Diet, nothing should be administered to make him gain weight — no food of any kind except the grape. In advanced cases it is sometimes by reducing him to a virtual skeleton that the disease may be overcome. When in severe cases he has reached this point, there is nothing left for the cancer to live on and it usually disappears spontaneously.

THIS IS BOGUS!!! And, can actually HARM patients! As Barrett, MD wrote in his article The Grape Cure, “[Brandt’s] recommended diet is deficient in most essential nutrients and can cause constipation, diarrhea, cramps, and weight loss that is undesirable for cancer patients.”

Grapes–a Detox Fad?

Okay—perhaps not necessarily a fad, since “grape cleanses” have been occurring, particularly in France since the late 1920s. As stated in Bullock’s article, the idea behind the The Grape Cure

…Was to lose weight, of course, but all-grape repasts were also said to boost health and improve the complexion; women swore by the antiaging benefits of a few months (months!) of eating only grapes.

My gosh! Months of only grapes!?! Even I couldn’t deal with that! Then, I’d definitely need to change the name of this blog…

Today, grape “detoxes” or “cleanses” still occur. However, instead of lasting for a few months and being marketed towards cancer patients, they’re more likely to last for a few days to a couple of weeks and are now hawked to the average Joe and Jane.

Why do people do them you ask? Well, I assume for the same reasons anyone would do a detox: to gain a sense of control over their body, possess a feeling of being “cleansed,” or reap the wonders of  the health benefits they were promised.

As one woman who does an annual “grape cleanse” stated in Bullock’s piece, “… it’s really about feeling good, being energized … a brief grape cleanse would brighten my skin, ease insomnia, straighten out digestion, relieve fatigue and stress, and get me on track.”

Detox Schmetox…

Now, I’m all about getting back on track and (hello?!?) I’m all for grape promotion, but am not all about detox diets—at all—even if it’s in the form of grapes and only grapes. Well—especially if it’s in the form of grapes AND only grapes! After all, grapes only provide good amounts of carbohydrates, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C, AND you need more than those nutrients to keep your ticker tickin’, your muscles moving, and your brain fully neurotransmitting.

Even more importantly, if you choose a detox that has even less nutrients than a grape—like one of the many juice programs being hawked like it’s everyone’s business—you’ll have no energy to function normally and exercise, which will make you expend less energy, perhaps loose muscle mass, and ultimately, rev down your metabolic engine. Not a good idea. Plus, I don’t  know about you, but if I was only drinking some cockamamie juice, or eating only grapes, I would not be the happiest camper on the block…

Lastly, the human body is pretty miraculous. It’s designed to purify itself—thanks to our liver and kidneys. If everything is in it’s proper place, there is absolutely no point in detoxing. Your body is already taking care of that.

A Detox Worth Believing In

If you insist on doing some sort of detox, eat extremely clean. Eat plenty of plant-based foods. At every meal and snack nosh on unadulterated (steamed, grilled, baked, steam-panned) vegetables and/or fruits. Also, share some love with whole grains, beans, legumes, low-fat dairy foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats. AND, don’t forget your H20!

Just get back to nature.

Happy Healthifying!!!

What are your thoughts on detox diets?