What is Fruit Diet?
A fruit diet is a diet that contains the major part of fruits. It helps one to keep their stomach full without having more calories. One must never follow a diet that only includes fruits. Whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds should also be a part of the nutrition plan.
A fruit diet contains around 50% of the calories from fruits, 20% from plant-based protein, 20% from vegetables and nuts, and 10% from whole grains. Whole grains are essential for our health. Ultimately, a fruit diet should be balanced, containing all the needed macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
People tend to forget micronutrients and focus only on the macronutrients, which disturbs the body’s functionality. This is a common mistake that has to be avoided.
Suppose you are following a diet focused on macros for a week. In that case, you may not feel a significant difference in the micronutrient deficiency. But in the long term, you may face this problem.
Weight loss and weight gain have different terms and conditions. Weight loss goal is achieved by being in a calorie deficit diet and weight gain by calorie surplus.
But it would be best if you had all the other things, such as seeds, grains, fruits, and fluids, intact to fulfill the body’s nutrient requirements.
Top Fruits For Weight Loss
1) Apples:
As you have heard, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is true. Apples are rich in fiber and antioxidants. They take a longer time to digest as they contain 3 grams of fiber which keeps your stomach full for a while.
This prevents you from overeating. Eating apples regularly keeps you away from chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
2) Bananas:
Bananas are the best fruits whether you are on a weight loss or weight gain diet. They are rich in a kind of carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion. That means they take more time to digest, similar to fiber. This also keeps you from eating in fewer time intervals. Bananas contain Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium.
3) Avocados:
Avocados are considered one of the best fruits for fat loss because they contain almost 77% of good fats. Good fats boost your testosterone levels, which help build muscle and burn fat. The fatty acids that avocados contain help to keep the heart-healthy. They also have Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K.
4) Pineapple:
Pineapples help in hydrating the body, which is essential for weight loss. Hydration is a must, especially during summers or if you are a sportsperson. They contain 2.3 grams of fiber, which helps digestion and keeps you full. They contain Vitamin C, manganese, Vitamin B6, and copper in an appropriate amount that our body needs.
5) Oranges:
An average-sized orange contains almost 3 grams of fiber and 70 milligrams of Vitamin C, boosting your digestion and immune system. They help you make collagen and aid in iron absorption. Usually, it is recommended to eat oranges in the morning.
6) Mangoes:
Mangoes are sweet seasonal fruits that contain vitamin A, C, B6, and potassium. They improve your metabolism and help in lowering inflammation. They are also the best choice for desserts, where you can replace ice creams with frozen mangoes.
A fruit diet should contain these fruits because of their availability and nutritional content.
Fruit Diet Benefits
1) Rich in nutrients:
Fruits contain a wide range of healthy nutrients that our body needs to work at its highest potential. Following a fruit diet helps you lose excess weight, reduce inflammation, improve digestion, boost your immune system, and feel light. Vitamin deficiency is something that you can experience when following specific diets. A fruit diet can correct that as well.
2) Weight loss:
A fruit diet is most beneficial in losing weight because it contains fewer calories and a lot of fibers. This keeps our stomachs full for a long time, leading to low-calorie consumption. Anything less than the maintenance calories tends to lose weight. Some fruits contain Vitamin C, which is beneficial in burning fat. Another factor is that they have significantly less fat content, which helps in weight loss.
3) Rich in Antioxidants:
A diet rich in antioxidants reduces the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. Antioxidants remove free radicals from blood cells and reduce oxidation. Antioxidants may also help lower the chances of AMD (age-related macular degeneration) by up to 25%. If someone already has AMD, it can help them keep more of their vision.
4) Contain folate:
Folate helps in producing red blood cells. Folate is an essential B vitamin necessary for making red and white blood cells in the bone marrow. (1)
5) Contain potassium:
Potassium helps in maintaining blood pressure. It also helps regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals in the body. A diet high in potassium may help reduce blood pressure and water retention and protect against stroke. It may also prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones. (2)
Fruit Diet for Weight loss in 7 Days
Design your own fruit diet having 50% of the calories from fruits, 20% from plant-based protein, 20% from vegetables and nuts, and 10% from whole grains. Fruits contain very few calories compared to their size, whereas other foods contain more calories in a small-sized quantity.
Your fruit diet should contain fruits like apples, bananas, papaya, musk melons, pineapple, oranges, grapes, etc., which are readily available. Adding two apples, 2-3 bananas, papaya, musk melon, pineapple, and grapes rounds up to 750 calories approximately.
Add vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, potatoes, and carrots. Count the calories well before you add any of these food items. Seeds such as flax seeds and chia seeds are a great addition as they have ample amounts of good fat, protein, and fiber content. If you have to use oil for cooking your dishes, adding olive oil is the best option.
Vegetables, seeds, and oil may sum up to 300 calories. Now it’s time to add some grains like brown rice, millets, etc. A cup of brown rice is around 150 calories. You may have some cooked vegetables with brown rice as your meal. If you strictly eat right, this can be your fruit diet for weight loss in 7 days.
The only thing you need to keep in mind during fat loss or weight loss is that you need to eat fewer calories than your maintenance calories. Along with that, you need to follow a workout regime to lose more fat or weight in a short time. In that way, you will gain muscle strength and endurance along with a good body shape. (3)
So, you can make your customized fruit diet plan and have fun losing weight and being healthy.