Nutritionally, there are few better steps you could take in your diet than eating more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Indeed, for balanced eating, ChooseMyPlate.gov recommends filling at least 50 percent of your plate with fruits and veggies at every meal. However, restricting your diet to only those food groups can have negative consequences of which you may not be aware.
Composition
A diet that contains primarily of fruits and some vegetables is sometimes known as a fruitarian diet. According to the Fruitarian Worldwide Network, fruitarians eat almost entirely raw fruits and vegetables, with a very small portion of their diets consisting of juices, nuts or seeds.
Advantages
There are many prominent advantages to following a diet that features vegetables and fruits. Since such foods tend to be very low in calories and fat in comparison to items from other food groups, you’re likely to lose weight on a fruit and veg diet, which can be an advantage if you’re overweight or obese. Additionally, ChooseMyPlate.gov notes that eating more fruits and vegetables provides the essential vitamins and minerals necessary to reduce risks for conditions such as bone loss, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney stones, stroke, heart attack and cancer.
Limitations
It’s very difficult to meet recommended daily allowances for protein and fats while following a fruit and vegetable diet because there are so few foods in those groups that are high in those nutrients. Thus, you could be at risk for nutrient deficiencies with a fruit and vegetable diet if you don’t regularly take a multivitamin or diversify your eating plan to include some items from other groups. MayoClinic.com recommends healthy adults get 10 to 35 percent of daily calories from protein and 20 to 35 percent from fats. It can also be tough to satisfy your daily calorie needs with only vegetables and fruits, since you need to eat large amounts to get the number of calories that typical meals would provide. The National Institutes of Health recommends that women eat no fewer than 1,200 calories daily and that men eat no fewer than 1,500 calories daily.
Considerations
Before you begin a fruit and vegetable diet or make any dramatic changes to your current eating plan, consult your physician or a registered dietitian for approval. The diet may not be appropriate for you if you have a chronic medical condition or significant calorie needs. For a more balanced eating plan that will fulfill all your nutritional requirements, eat daily servings of whole grains, dairy products and lean proteins in addition to fruits and veggies.
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