A fruitarian diet consists of mostly or entirely fresh fruit, with occasional small servings of nuts, seeds, vegetables and other raw foods. Although there are plenty of nutritional benefits and healthy properties of the primary foods in a fruitarian eating plan, the diet is not balanced, and that can make it difficult to meet recommended daily requirements of all essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Health Benefits
Fruits have some of the highest vitamin and mineral counts of any food group. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, the fiber and nutrients present in fresh or frozen fruits can encourage healthy weight maintenance or weight loss and can reduce risks of diabetes, bone loss, heart attack, stroke, kidney stones, cancer and other serious health conditions.
Downsides
Eating only fruits has some significant disadvantages. Fruits are rich in simple carbohydrates, but they contain very little protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, all of which are essential nutrients. MayoClinic.com recommends getting about 25 percent of your daily calories from fat, 20 percent from protein and 55 percent from carbs. Nuts and seeds can help to meet some of the fat and protein requirements in a flexible fruitarian diet, but the diet still excludes or severely limits four of the five main food groups: dairy, grains, vegetables and proteins. Thus, it can lead to nutrient deficiencies or other health issues if you follow it in the long term.
Nutrition Facts
Raw, fresh fruits tend to be low in calories and rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They also have high water content, which contributes to their low energy density levels. According to the USDA, a medium banana has approximately 105 calories, and a medium apple has about 95. A cup of strawberries or raspberries has about 50 calories, and a cup of sliced watermelon has just 45. In contrast, a cup of cooked rice has about 240 calories, and a cup of vanilla yogurt has 210 calories.
Considerations
Despite the potential advantages of a fruitarian diet, it's not a healthy or balanced choice. You may think you can take a daily multivitamin to make up for nutrients you'll be missing with whole foods from other main groups, but the foods themselves may offer superior nutrition. "Dietary supplements aren't intended to be a food substitute because they can't replicate all of the nutrients and benefits of whole foods," note MayoClinic.com physicians. Before you adopt a fruitarian eating plan or make any significant changes to your current diet, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian who is familiar with your health history.
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