What Happens To Your Body If You Eat Nothing But Fruit

I was asked this question not long ago by a friend. “If fruit is so good for me, what would happen if that was all I ate”? I had to ponder this question for a few minutes, but I thought the answer was worth sharing. There are actually people that promote the benefits of a “fruitarian” diet. These are people that believe it is healthy to eat only fruit. Fruits are full of plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, which are nutrients that are good for our immune system, helping protect against disease. Fruits are packed with natural sugar in the form of fructose and many vitamins and antioxidants, including vitamin C and beta-carotene. Some research even shows fruits can reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Generally speaking, eating fruit (in moderation) is healthy for us and it’s often recommended to increase our intake of whole fruit (but not fruit juice) when we’re looking to revamp our diet and eat healthier. Plus, fruit makes a great addition to meals as a natural sweetener and is a good snack to grab instead of chips or cookies. That being said, even when we consider the benefits of fruit and why it should be included as part of a balanced diet, people should generally keep their fruit intake to no more than 25% to 30% of their diet to avoid nutritional imbalances. Some potential imbalances and difficulties in eating only fruits can be:

• Bowel Discomfort and Irregularity - fruits are loaded with fiber. While we need fiber to keep our bowels moving, too much of a good thing causes problems. We could experience bloating and gas as our system tries to deal with the fiber overload. Belly cramping may soon follow.

• Weight Loss or Gain - eating only fruit could lead to weight loss initially but could lead to taking in more calories than we're burning off. This can happen if we eat lots of high-calorie fruits like avocados, which have about 320 calories each; grapes, which provide roughly 230 calories in 2 cups; or papayas, which contain around 150 calories each.

• Vitamin or Mineral Deficiencies - fruits have high amounts of many vitamins and minerals, but they don't provide everything we need. With a fruit-only diet, we won't get vitamin D and may only get small amounts of bone-building phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium. Ultimately, this could lead to weak and fragile bones. We will also be lacking in some of the B vitamins, particularly B-12, riboflavin, niacin, and biotin. Without these vitamins, our body will have a hard time making red blood cells and converting foods into energy. We probably won't be getting enough vitamin K either, possibly creating problems with blood clotting. Plus, we may become overly fatigued because we most likely won't have enough iron in our system to deliver oxygen to cells.

Of course, fruits are a healthy addition to our diet, although they shouldn't be the only thing we eat. As we have discussed, consuming only fruit could disrupt our digestive tract, make it difficult for us to maintain our weight and possibly leave us malnourished. It is true with most things; moderation is the key to healthy eating.