Ampelotherapy, from the Greek denomination of the vine, àmpelos, is the grape diet. It was already practiced in ancient times, from the 1700s, above all in the spas, where it was proposed as a purifying diet.
Autumn is the ideal season to follow this diet. Let's see how it's done.
Grapes for purifying the body
The grape, in addition to containing vitamins, mineral salts, sugars, organic acids (phosphoric acid, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid), has purifying, antioxidant, toning and detoxifying properties .
Grapes contain from 14% to 30% of sugars dissolved in water, depending on the type; B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C; mineral salts (iron, iodine, potassium, arsenic and copper salts).
A couple of preliminary tips: better to consume the well-ripened grapes, because all the substances of which it is rich are better assimilated; chew everything, without removing neither the skin nor the seeds, the pips, rich in a precious oil.
The grape diet among the detox diets: discover the others
The seven-day diet
This diet proposes the consumption of vegetables and grapes in high percentage and a minimum consumption of carbohydrates, about 100 grams per day, to reach 1200 total calories.
Example of the first day:
breakfast: 120 grams of grapes, an herbal tea
snack: 120 grams of grapes
lunch: artichokes in pinzimonio 120 grams, wholemeal bread 60 grams, chickpeas in salad 120 grams, 70 grams of grapes
snack: 70 grams of grapes
dinner: mixed salad (120 grams of endive, 25 of celery, 35 of carrots, 35 of beans), 200 grams of boiled broccoli, wholemeal bread 60 grams, grapes 70 grams
evening snack: 70 grams of grapes and herbal tea
The grapes are either white or black, of the preferred type; keep in mind that black pigment, more pigmented, contains greater quantities of antioxidant substances, very important in the fight against free radicals and against cellular aging, while white grapes, however, are more sugary and therefore have more calories.
The oil is a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil per portion, if desired we can also use squeezed lemon. The depurative diet based on grapes should be followed in a similar way to the scheme of the first day for seven days. The type of herbal tea of the morning and evening alternates, preferring purifying ones, such as dandelion or artichoke, for example.
As well as vegetables and cereals: at lunch you can consume 80 grams of barley or brown rice or whole wheat pasta, reducing the bread to 40 grams, accompanied by the favorite seasonal vegetables (fennel, spinach, cabbage, radicchio, various legumes). We prefer to eat cereal at lunch, while legume protein at dinner.
Three-day diet
The three-day diet, perhaps the best known, is based on increasing fruit consumption in a short time and drastic reduction of more elaborate foods, rich in proteins and fats, intoxicating foods and other fruit or vegetables.
The treatment of three-day grapes begins in practice with 500 grams consumed during the first day, to then arrive at a quantity of around two kilos, at most two and a half kilos, on the third day.
From the first day, it is necessary to eliminate the foods that are hardly digested, that is those too rich in proteins and fats, the drinks that are not water or infusions (wine, beer, liqueurs, tea, coffee) and all the raw vegetables and l other fruit.
To get the most out of the care you need to take only whole wheat bread. Dietitians recommend consuming the first half of the weight of grapes in the morning on an empty stomach; the second half dividing it between noon and late afternoon.
Attention ! Consult your doctor before trying the diet : the types described are not suitable for diabetics and people with reduced glucose tolerance, that is, who find it difficult to metabolize simple sugars, of which the grape is rich. The reference book is " Cellulite. Identification and therapies "by Umberto Nardi.
