Going on a fruit diet for just a day may have some benefits, but going on an all-fruit diet for life can lead to nutrient deficiencies. (Photo: Flickr/Heyjojomojo)
A few years ago, Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher was in the news when he followed an all-fruit diet for a month in preparation for a new film based on Steve Jobs.
Many people switch over to an all fruit diet believing that it is the original diet followed by Adam and Eve and adapting to such a diet is a more holistic approach to living and a simpler way of life. In theory it sounds very simple and you may wonder what could possibly go wrong by eating fruits that nature provides us. One may argue that since it is a natural food that requires no cooking, it must be ideal. However it is actually not such a great plan nutritionally and can actually harm you in the long run.
What being fruitarian means?
Fruitarians include only fruits of different kinds, nuts; seeds and dried fruits.They try to make sure that 75% of their daily intake is made of only raw fruits.
What is missing in an all fruit diet?
Our diet must include foods from each of the five food groups as each group provides certain nutrients in the body. Fruits can only provide some energy from carbohydrates, fibre and certain antioxidant vitamins and minerals in small quantities. When fruits supplement your normal diet they enhance the nutrient value, but fruits alone cannot help meet the daily needs of the body. Fruits do not contain proteins essential for building and repairing the tissues of the body and nor do they supply Vitamin B12,calcium,Vitamin D,iodine,zinc or omega 3 fatty acids all of which are essential for the body.
Besides the nutritional inadequacy of such a diet, from the practical point of view too, such an eating plan can become very restrictive and extremely monotonous and repetitive.
So should you consider it?
Going on an all fruit plan for just a day can actually have some benefits if you want to try it as a kind of a detox to just give your system a rest. It can especially have great benefits if you are constipated or just want to work on your will power to control your cravings.However do it for just one day in a week or 10 days. Do not go overboard.
Eating two fruits a day as snacks between your meals is a great idea. (Photo: Flickr/Christopher Fynn)
1 day fruit Detox
* Start the day with 1-2 glasses of plain water
* If you can avoid tea or coffee it would be ideal. However, if you are someone who develops a headache you can allow yourself a cup
* Breakfast can include a bowl of papaya along with an orange and a few nuts and seeds ie 3-5 pieces of walnuts and almonds with 1 tsp of sunflower or pumpkin seeds
* Mid morning you can sip on a glass of coconut water
* At lunch time, you could make yourself a platter of different fruits. Make sure you include one starchy fruit like banana or custard apple along with a combination of two or three other fruits you like. A starchy fruit will help prevent acidity that can develop because of the sudden change in intake
* In the evening, you can sip on green tea or a glass of lime juice with another seasonal fruit of your choice
* At dinner, you can have a normal meal starting with a soup and salad along with brown rice and a pulse or even 1-2 chapatis with a pulse and a vegetable
* Skipping dinner can actually backfire as you may end up with hunger pangs that don’t allow you to sleep.
To summarize, eating two fruits a day as snacks between your meals is a great idea. Going on a one-day fruit diet until dinner once in 10 days may help you improve your digestion. However, going on an all-fruit diet can lead to nutrient deficiencies and can actually put your body in a starvation mode, which actually makes fat storage easier by lowering your metabolism. Change your lifestyle for the better by making healthier choices instead of following the next big fad!
from The Indian ExpressHealth – The Indian Express http://ift.tt/1TisHFf
via Food Channel Shows
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1RIIhrl
No comments:
Post a Comment