A diet containing no fruit can be compatible with good health as long as you consume fruits' essential compounds from other foods. Fruit has benefits such as vitamins and fiber, yet you can access these same benefits from vegetables--and in some cases, even from grains. Understanding what you will miss with a fruitless diet is essential to filling in the nutritional gaps.
Energy Provision
Fruit sugars combine fructose and glucose, providing quick calories. Sugar Stacks provides a stark visual record using sugar cubes to illustrate the sugar content of popular fruits. If you want to lose weight, cutting the high-sugar fruits is a good way to lose excess sugar, and the simplicity of omitting fruits may allow for easier nutritional decisions. Besides, if you focus on vegetables and whole grains, you will benefit from complex carbohydrates, plus an array of vitamins and minerals that fruit lack.
Pectin Content
Pectin is a fiber composed of complex polysaccharides found in and around plant cells, according to Dietary Fiber Food. Basically a sugar residue, pectin is a soluble fiber that, like oat fiber, reduces low-density lipoproteins, the bad cholesterol, in the blood. Pectin also influences dietary carbohydrates by slowing down sugar digestion and moderating blood glucose levels. Citrus fruits and apples are major contributors of pectin--but so are corn flakes, carrots, peas, beans and potatoes, as Dietary Fiber Food indicates, with carrot and corn flake pectin content respectively double and triple that of apples.
Vitamins
Many vitamins in fruit can be found elsewhere. Six important vitamins--A, C, E, B-1, B-2 and B-6--exist in common serving sizes of both fruits and vegetables; Health Alternatives' illustrated charts simplify the comparison process. For example, one medium apple contains 98 international units of vitamin A, 8.4 milligrams vitamin C, .33 mg vitamin E, .031 mg vitamin B-1, .047 mg vitamin B-2 and .075 mg vitamin B-6. However, a comparable serving, one-half cup, of asparagus has 10 times as much vitamin A, five times as much B-1, twice as much B-2, four times as much E, and only 1.5 mg fewer C. One cup broccoli has more potassium than a banana. Kale has twice as much iron and six times as much calcium as do grapes. One cup of diced, cooked pumpkin has more vitamin A than four cantaloupe slices. One cup brussels sprouts has one-third more vitamin C than an orange.
Color and Pigmentation
Fruits are colorful, but so are multipigmented vegetables and deeply hued grains, nuts and legumes. Rich hues abound in red peppers and beets, purple beans and eggplants, yellow and orange squash, green lettuces and blue kale. Grains' warm tans, beiges and browns and the white and ivory shades of dairy food provide ample and beautiful contrast.
Sugar and Sweetness
It is not a bad idea to completely wean yourself off sweet foods.There is nothing that sugar does for you except provide energy or empty calories. If you absolutely must have something sweet, try sugar substitutes or small amounts of honey or molasses. Fruit is indeed a pleasure for many, but other foods can, collectively, take its place.
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