Some people choose fruit diets to lose weight, meaning they only eat fruits and nothing else. They believe that fruits are low in fat and calories while being rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, what you may not realize is that many fruits actually contain excessive amounts of sugar and are not suitable for consumption in large quantities; in fact, some fruits can have higher calories than meat.
While fruits do contain dietary fiber, the sugar content in fructose is very high. Compared to other starches with similar calories, fructose is absorbed particularly quickly, and overeating high-sugar fruits can easily be converted into fat. Eating only fruits can also lead to feeling hungry very quickly; when the feeling of hunger is intense, most people tend to eat more, thus making it easier to gain weight.
However, even more concerning than fresh fruits is fruit juice. Fresh fruits are bulky and filling; two apples can leave you full, while three apples juiced can be consumed very quickly. Furthermore, the process of juicing can result in significant nutrient loss, and if one strains out the pulp for taste, a large amount of fiber is lost in the process. Additionally, commercially available fruit juices often have added sugars and other additives to enhance taste, leading to unimaginably high calorie counts.
Some people think that they can simply eat one low-calorie fruit to lose weight, for example, only eating grapefruit or only apples. If one needs to consume 1200 calories a day, eating only apples would require consuming around 15 apples, which is unrealistic. Therefore, relying solely on one type of fruit for weight loss is essentially just a different way of counting calories. Moreover, fruits generally lack fats and proteins, so a long-term fruit diet can lead to malnutrition.
A single food weight loss diet is essentially a disguised form of dieting. Doing this for an extended period can weaken digestive function, result in nutritional imbalances, and severely damage health.
1. Nutritional imbalance: Eating only one type of food for a long time can lead to deficiencies in other essential nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, triggering a series of health problems like reduced immunity, hormonal imbalances, and anemia.
2. Decreased basal metabolic rate: Prolonged low-calorie intake leads the body to automatically lower its basal metabolic rate to maintain vital activities, making it difficult to continue losing weight even if food intake is very low.
3. Easy rebound: Once normal eating resumes, the lowered basal metabolic rate allows the body to absorb calories more easily and convert them into fat storage, resulting in a rapid weight rebound.
To control weight, the same old advice applies: avoid blindly following trends and instead choose a suitable, balanced diet plan. For example, follow the “Healthy Plate” guidelines, eat fewer fried foods, and consume more steamed dishes to ensure sustainability for effective and safe weight loss.
