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Overview of a Strict Fruit Diet

May 26, 2011 | By Martin Zabell
Overview of a Strict Fruit Diet
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Fruit is a low-fat food that is also an excellent source of fiber, minerals and vitamins. Replacing high-fat foods with fruits can help you lose weight and also reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and other obesity-related diseases, according to the textbook "An Invitation to Health." Eating only fruits, though, isn't recommended, because you need about 25 minerals and vitamins in your diet and fruits lack some of them, wrote "Invitation" author Dianne Hales.

History

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been recommending that Americans eat two to four servings of fruit each day since it devised the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992. In 1996, the USDA's "FoodReview" magazine reported that fruits were Americans' most glaring nutritional deficiency because they were eating only half the number of recommended servings. In contrast, Americans were eating about 85 percent of the pyramid's recommended vegetables and grains. "Invitation" reported in 2003 that Americans' primary nutritional deficiency was still a lack of fruits.

Significance

Eating fruits saves lives, according to the textbooks "An Invitation to Health" and "Essentials for Health and Wellness." "Invitation" reported that people who eat the fewest fruits and vegetables "have a cancer rate twice that of people who eat the most fruits and vegetables." "Essentials" reported that Italians, Greeks and other populations that eat the native Mediterranean diet, which includes far more fruits than Americans eat, have significantly lower rates of heart disease than Americans.

Features

Numerous fruits have less than 1 g of fat in one serving, including apples, oranges, pears and many of the berries, according to "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease." The best low-fat fruits are those with the most fiber, because fiber reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to "Essentials." Fruits with four or more grams of fiber in a serving include blackberries, blueberries, dates, papayas, peaches, pears, raisins, raspberries and strawberries, according to the USDA's "Fiber Content of Selected Foods" list.

Considerations

Fruits are beneficial when part of a balanced diet, but a strict fruit diet will deprive you of some important minerals and vitamins, including riboflavin and vitamin E, according to "Invitation." A prolonged deficiency of vitamin E can cause anemia, muscle degeneration and leg cramps, the textbook reports. The USDA pyramid is devised to give you a guideline for the minerals and vitamins you need. It says you should eat six to 11 servings of foods in the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group daily as well as three to five helpings of vegetables per day.

Rankings

Numerous fruits are among the most nutritious foods because they're loaded with fiber, minerals and vitamins, according to "Nutripoints: A New Guide to Simple, Healthy Eating." The book reports that the most nutritious fruits include apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapefruit, mandarin oranges, mango, nectarines, peaches, plums and strawberries.

References

Article reviewed by Adela McKay Last updated on: May 26, 2011

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