The fruit diet
What is the Fruit Diet?
The popular fruit diet belongs to the group of mono diets, which means that a certain food or a food group comes to the fore, with this diet it is the sweet fruits. This diet is one of the most famous slimming cures because it contains numerous valuable vitamins, among other things. One possibility is to reduce the fruit diet completely to a specific fruit, as is the case with the papaya diet, the mango diet or the pineapple diet.
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Course of the fruit diet
The fruit diet should include at least 1.25 kg of fresh fruit per day. It is important that only fresh fruit is consumed, as canned fruit contains some amounts of sugar and preservatives.
All other food groups such as meat, fish, dairy products, cereals etc. are taboo. Lemonade, cola, alcohol and sugar are prohibited. Any amount of water, unsweetened tea and freshly squeezed juices may be consumed as drinks.
Fruits and vegetables - which diet is better?
With a fruit and vegetable diet, which is also a kind of mono diet, you have colorful meals full of nutrients and valuable vitamins as well as a variety of design options. Some nasty fattening foods such as meat and desserts are completely absent from the menu.
However, deficiency symptoms can still occur, as essential fatty acids are missing and certain trace elements and vitamins can be absorbed less easily from the intestines or are completely absent from the menu.
An advantage of the fruit and vegetable diet that should not be underestimated is that you have both sweet and savory meals on the menu, while the fruit diet is much more one-sided on this point and therefore the fruit diet is more difficult for some people to implement over several days .
In general, all mono-diets are unhealthy in the long run, as vitamins and nutrients are missing in such a one-sided diet and deficiency symptoms can occur. Nonetheless, the fruit and vegetable diet is more versatile and richer in nutrients and vitamins than the fruit diet and therefore preferable to it. In addition, a lot of vegetables are very low in calories, which is particularly good for quick weight loss.
To better compare the two diets, read more on the topic: Vegetable diet
Which fruits help best in a diet?
It is important with the fruit diet that a balanced mixture of fruit is consumed, as not every fruit is equally suitable for weight loss. For example, the tasty banana is quite high in calories. Therefore, the right mixture is important and there is a large selection of different types of fruit.
Stone fruits, pome fruits and citrus fruits are particularly good for losing weight as part of the fruit diet.
Stone fruits include nectarines, mirabelle plums, plums and cherries, with cherries only having 63 calories per 100g and plums as little as 46 calories per 100g. Pome fruits are particularly popular, for example apples, pears and quinces, which have an average of 50 - 60 calories per 100g.
Citrus fruits like blood oranges. Mandarins and grapefruits are similarly low in calories and are particularly popular because of their stimulating effect on the metabolism.
Berries like currants, blueberries or strawberries are a popular part of the fruit diet and other diets.
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Side effects of the diet
Some fruits contain certain sugars, which are fructose and sorbitol. When they break down, they can lead to the formation of gases in the gastrointestinal tract, which one then perceives in the form of flatulence. Many fruits also contain fiber. Dietary fiber is difficult for the body to digest and this property can also lead to a bloated stomach.
Examples of typical fruits that can cause a bloated stomach are apples, cherries, pears, pineapples, grapes, mango and especially dried fruits like dates and raisins. Drinking lots of water and eating the puffy fruit in smaller quantities can help reduce the stomach bloat.
Criticism of the diet
The fruit diet is one-sided and can lead to deficiency symptoms over a longer period of time despite the many vitamins.
Such deficiency symptoms can range from poor concentration to anemia.
The one-sidedness of the diet makes it difficult for some people to stick to it, especially if you like a hearty diet.
In addition, care must be taken what kind of fruit is eaten, as fruit contains different numbers of calories. Fruit contains fructose and, like industrial sugar, it can go straight on your hips. There are also types of fruit that cause bloating, which can lead to a less pleasant body feeling.
What are the risks and dangers of this diet?
The fruit diet is very one-sided and therefore this diet is dangerous in the long run, as deficiency symptoms can occur if the body lacks important trace elements or vitamins over the long term. The risk of a yo-yo effect is high with mono-diets such as the fruit diet if the diet is not changed over the long term.
The diet is not suitable for pregnant women or the sick, as it can cause serious damage to the organism.
Where can I find good fruit diet recipes?
On the Internet you can find numerous very easy to prepare fruit diet recipes. If you would rather have something to read, there are also a variety of recipes in the form of books on the fruit diet. One advantage of the books is that in most diet books, corresponding diet plans can be found in a structured manner with shopping lists and the diet can be carried out more easily according to the instructions. The fruit diet can also be carried out with smoothies, for which there are countless delicious recipes to imitate on the internet and in books.
How much weight can I lose with this form of diet?
The question of weight loss in the fruit diet is heavily dependent on which fruit you eat.
If you only eat delicious, high-calorie bananas, the success in losing weight is less than if you eat cherries, mandarins and blood oranges.
However, if you eat mainly the low-calorie fruits, you can lose up to 3.5 kg in a week. However, part of the loss is due to water that is lost in the first few days.
Read more on the topic: Mixed food diets or lightning diets
How can I avoid the yo-yo effect with this diet?
If you stick to the diet plan and only eat low-calorie fruit, you will gain fewer calories during the day than before the diet, in which case your metabolism will switch to the back burner.
This significantly increases the risk of a yo-yo effect after the end of the diet. The body fears another period of hunger and stores the energy from food in the fat deposits. To prevent the yo-yo effect, it is helpful to gradually switch to a higher calorie intake while maintaining a healthy, balanced diet over the long term.
You should continue to eat good fruit every day, and exercise also boosts your metabolism and helps you maintain your weight in the long term.
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Medical evaluation of the diet by
The fruit diet is one-sided, as only fresh fruit may be eaten or drunk during the diet period. As a result, the diet is not sustainable for everyone over several days.
The one-sidedness of the diet can lead to the fact that not all vitamins, trace elements and nutrients necessary for the body are absorbed with food. One consequence can be deficiency symptoms, which are dangerous. Another point is the fructose content, which is different in the various types of fruit.
The problem is that the intestine absorbs and metabolizes fructose and industrial sugar from sweets. So if we eat high-calorie, sugary bananas all day, we can even gain weight with this diet. It is therefore necessary to pay close attention to the correct fruit and content.
Nevertheless, fruit contains valuable nutrients and should be part of a balanced diet. For example, the WHO recommends that we consume 5 servings of fruit a day in order to absorb the vitamins from the fruit in addition to the valuable ingredients of other foods. We therefore consider 1 to 2 fruit days a week to be harmless, but a fruit diet should not be followed for more than a week.
What alternatives are there to the fruit diet?
A very useful alternative to the pure fruit diet is the fruit and vegetable diet, in which both fruit and vegetables can be eaten. You do not have to go hungry and have a wide range of preparation options and different flavors, which is why the diet can be maintained well.
The low-carb diet, in which carbohydrates are largely replaced by protein, is also popular. The aim is for the body to gain its energy from the protein in the food and gradually break down the body's own fat instead of building sugar from the food into the love handles. A popular example of this is the low-carb Atkins diet, which consists of individual phases and provides a disciplined diet plan. If you don't want to forego carbohydrates, you can try diets that are particularly rich in carbohydrates, such as the rice diet or the potato diet. The tried and tested cabbage soup diet, which is very one-sided, brings quick success.
In general, people who have previously done little sport slowly start training, gradually increase and thus achieve and then maintain their desired weight in the long term.
Long-term and healthy results can be achieved through a balanced diet with the freshest and unprocessed ingredients possible.
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