Fruit Diet & Juicing

Fruit Diet & Juicing
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For those interested in losing weight and gaining maximum health benefits from food, there are a variety of different eating methods available, including fruit diets and juicing. Incorporating fruits into your diet will add fiber and antioxidants, benefits that people who follow fruit diets have recognized. To lose weight, increase your intake of valuable nutrients or just for personal preference, following a fruit diet or juicing on a daily basis promotes health and vitality.

Fruitarianism

Fruitarians are people who follow diets that consist mostly of fruit, although many allow the addition of beans, nuts and some vegetables. This type of diet is often a choice for health reasons or to reduce the impact on the environment that comes from eating meat and animal products. According to the Fruitarian Worldwide Network, people who follow a fruit diet may have increased strength and exercise endurance, improved mental clarity and more joyful living.

Juicing

Juicing involves extracting the juice from raw fruits and drinking it. Many people who add juicing to their diets may also eat other foods, including vegetables, beans or grains. Juicing involves taking raw fruit or vegetables and using a juicer, which presses the food to extract the juice. It often takes much more raw fruit or vegetables to get one glass of juice than you would normally eat in one sitting. Because of this, you will derive many more nutrients. Juicing also provides new flavors by combining foods that you may not normally eat together, such as carrots, beets and cucumber or apple and lettuce.

Meals

Those who follow fruit diets and juicing eat plenty of fruit each day. While this may sound monotonous, these types of diets actually provide a lot of variety. Foods are available raw or juiced, such as berries, citrus fruits, bananas, papaya, mango, pineapple or apple. Avocados, cucumbers and tomatoes are also considered to be fruits. Other types of foods include fruit salads, juice and smoothies. Rinds and peels from some fruits such as watermelon or oranges can be chopped or zested and added to dishes for flavor or as condiments. There are various possibilities for meals when following a fruit diet.

Benefits

Juicing and fruit diets are healthy methods of eating that provide many benefits. Following these types of diets provides healthy nutrients because of the many vitamins and minerals found in fruits. Additionally, fruits do not contain cholesterol and are low in fat and calories. Many people juice because it involves using raw, unprocessed foods that contain enzymes and amino acids to support cell growth. According to the Bastis Foundation, nutrients in raw fruit juice are easier to digest and absorb than whole fruits because the nutrients are concentrated in the juice.

Considerations

While you may gain the benefits of vitamins and enzymes when following a fruit diet or by juicing, these types of eating methods are not for everyone. These diets may not only be difficult to follow because of cost or fruit availability, but also eating only fruit or drinking only juice can have negative health effects. According to Central Piedmont Community College, a fruitarian diet may increase diarrhea. Additionally, by avoiding other types of foods, you may not get the calories that you need each day, and your diet may be lacking in beneficial protein and fat.

References

Article reviewed by J. Betherman Last updated on: Sep 9, 2011

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