Is a Fruitarian Diet Right for You? Pros and Cons of a Fruit-Only Diet

A fruitarian diet consists of eating only fruits, nuts and seeds. While there are no official guidelines for a fruitarian diet, most fruitarians advise against processed foods like dried fruit or raisins and instead recommend organic fruits to maximize the nutritional value of their meals. A fruitarian diet may be beneficial to people who are looking to lose weight or maintain their current weight, but it’s important to determine whether it’s right for you before making any significant changes to your diet.

What is a fruitarian diet?

A fruitarian diet consists of eating only fruits, nuts and seeds. While there are no official guidelines for a fruitarian diet, most people who follow one choose to consume whole, raw fruits in various quantities throughout their day. This could mean an apple first thing in the morning, followed by an orange mid-morning and peaches at lunchtime. Alternatively, it might mean 8 figs at 10 am, an apple at noon, berries with a smoothie in the early afternoon then 2 apples before dinner. However, you structure your diet (and any plan needs some tweaking as you go along) that's really up to you but make sure that if you do commit to any sort of fruitarian diet you're getting all your vitamins from other sources or multivitamins as well!

Good carbs vs bad carbs – what you should eat

The right carbs aren’t just low on the glycemic index; they’re also whole grains, beans, starchy vegetables (think sweet potatoes) or fruits that contain fibre. Anything with refined sugar—such as table sugar or high fructose corn syrup—is bad in any amount. Sugar can raise insulin levels in your body, making you store fat instead of burning it off.

Micronutrients & vitamins in fruits

It’s common knowledge that fruits are bursting with vitamins. They contain every vitamin imaginable, from A to K—and many B vitamins, including folate (which is critical for women of childbearing age), riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. Certain fruits also provide minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium—but it’s important to eat whole fruits rather than drinking fruit juice.

Fruits and heart health

Eating plenty of fruits can help protect your heart. A fruitarian diet, however, isn’t right for everyone. Since fruit contains natural sugars, it is important to include other foods in your diet as well—nuts, seeds, beans and other legumes all make great additions to a fruitarian diet. And while you might think eating lots of fruits leads to weight gain since they’re high in calories—that’s not necessarily true.

Weight loss on a fruitarian diet – what happens

When people switch to a fruitarian diet, they’re often tempted to throw out their old recipes. While it may seem tempting to clean house when you transition to fruitarianism, experts say that it’s better to maintain your normal eating habits at first. This will keep you from missing any important nutrients. Once you get used to your new diet, though, it’s OK to look for recipes that help you utilize fruits in creative ways.

Can you get enough protein on a fruitarian diet?

Many people worry that they won’t get enough protein on a fruitarian diet. As long as you are eating enough calories, it’s possible to meet your protein needs while fruitarian. But keep in mind that while fruits have some protein, most have less than 20% of your daily value per cup (depending on what type of fruit you eat). To make sure you don’t fall short, use sites like NutritionData to find out how much protein is in different types of fruits.

A sample day’s worth of food on a fruitarian diet

After years of fruitarian diets, here are my top 12 tips that have helped me stick to fruit as a primary food source. My first two rules are based on common sense: 1) Eat a good balance of different types of fruits—no more than two servings of one type per day; 2) Don’t eat too much at once, since it’s easy to overdo it when you aren’t consuming other foods in your diet.

How to cook vegetables if you're on a fruitarian diet

If you’re following a fruitarian diet, it is important to make sure that your diet includes raw fruits and vegetables with plenty of minerals, vitamins, protein and fibre. While some fruits can be eaten as snacks or dessert after meals, others are best incorporated into salads. Following a fruitarian diet requires careful planning to ensure that you’re getting all your nutritional needs in order. One effective way to do so is by eating plenty of vegetables as well as salads filled with fresh fruits and crunchy nuts.

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