Disadvantages of fruit salad

You can't have as much as you want.

Many people use the fruit weight loss diet to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, but run into health issues soon afterwards.

Fruit salad is by no means bad for you - but there are health consequences if you eat too much of it (just like anything else). Practice moderation for the following reasons.

Disadvantages of fruit salad

1. Fruit is high in sugar
2. There isn't enough protein, iron, zinc or calories in fruit
3. Food-borne illnesses spread easily through fruit
4. Fruit can greatly reduce appetite in people with anorexia
5. May cause diarrhea, bloating, gas and other digestive issues

Practice moderation with everything.

1. Fruit is high in sugar

Dietary guidelines say that you should limit sugar consumption to 200 calories or 12 teaspoons (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) on a 2 000 calorie diet per day.

Let's simplify that to 50 grams for the sake of fruit comparison. 

A medium apple contains about 18.9 grams of sugar. A medium banana contains about 14.4 grams of sugar. Your fruit salad probably has 5 different fruit (with an average of 16.6 grams of sugar per fruit). You would therefore consume 83 grams of sugar.

That's 66% above your maximum daily recommended limit (from a single fruit salad)!

You should still eat at least 5 fruit and vegetables a day

You must eat at least 5 fruit and vegetables every day. The fiber prevents the sugar from destroying your blood sugar levels. Fiber feeds the good gut bacteria that keep you healthy.

The numbers aren't meant to scare you off from eating fruit and vegetables. The point is you can't eat as much as you want because it is 'healthy'.

You can overdo anything, even water. Practice moderation and variety for optimum health.

If you eat too much 'healthy food' like fruit salad and fewer other healthy foods like legumes, whole grains, animal products; you can run into severe nutrient deficiencies (more on that below).

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2. Fruit salad is low in protein, iron, zinc and calories

These important nutrients come from foods that are high in protein. Fruit salad is not one of them.

Animal products like eggs, dairy, meat, fish and seafood along with plant proteins like whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and lentils are good sources of these nutrients.

Fruit are not good sources of these nutrients. If you eat too many fruit and too little of these nutrients, you risk nutrient deficiency - which can lead to a whole array of health issues.

One billion people worldwide don't get enough protein. Ten million people are iron deficient in the US alone. Over one billion people worldwide are deficient in zinc.

Eat more protein-rich food at every meal if you want to avoid one of these deficiencies. A fruit salad might have a ton of their own essential nutrients; but definitely not enough of protein, iron, zinc or calories.

What happens if I don't eat enough protein-rich food?

Protein deficiency can lead to muscle wasting, poor wound healing, recurring infections, low energy, pale skin, brittle hair and nails, dry and itchy skin and constant hunger cravings.

Iron deficiency can lead to an overall pale or whitened appearance, lack of energy, low immune system, impaired brain function, shortness of breath, a fast heartbeat, poor blood circulation (like cold hands and feet), brittle hair and nails, hair loss, mouth and tongue sores and difficulty swallowing.

Zinc deficiency can lead to a low immune system, loss of appetite, hair loss, diarrhea, impotence, skin lesions, longer healing time (cuts take abnormally long to heal), lethargy and unexpected weight changes.

Calorie deficiency (not getting enough calories or not eating enough calorie-dense food) can lead to a slow metabolism, decreased energy, mental decline, decreased physical performance, emotional distress and lack of motivation, extra fat stores, weak immune system, hormonal imbalances, inability to sleep properly and overall weakness.

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3. Diseases spread through plant foods like fruit

Plant products are one of the biggest mediums for the spread of diseases. One of the advantages of processed food is the fact that it can last almost indefinitely without going bad.

Healthy, natural food carries the risk of disease contamination because germs thrive on them just as much as our bodies do.

One of the simplest ways to know what is healthy or unhealthy is to check how long a food item lasts before getting spoiled. The longer it takes before going off, the worse it is for your health.

You can't keep a fruit salad in the fringe for longer than a day. If you store fruit salad for longer than that, you put your health (and you family's health) at risk.

Place extra fruit salad portions in the freezer to prolong its lifespan. Wash all fruit and vegetables before you cook them or eat them.

Respect the cycle of nature.

4. Fruit can greatly reduce appetite in people with anorexia

Fruit is full of fiber and water. Fiber locks the nutrients away and prolongs the amount of time that it takes for your body to absorb the nutrients. Water adds calorie-free bulk and keeps your digestive system full until your body can get to the nutrients in the fiber.

This will decrease appetite and prolong the amount of time that it takes before you are hungry for your next meal.

If you are overweight and want to cut down on your daily caloric intake, this is a good thing. If you struggle to eat enough food already, however, this can be a bad thing.

Plant foods lead to weight loss

This is why many people run into extreme weight loss or nutrient deficiencies when they start following a plant-only diet. You can definitely thrive off a plant-only diet - just balance it out with protein-rich food like nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes and beans.

Eat more natural food like fruit, vegetables and leafy greens like spinach and lettuce if you want to decrease your appetite and lose weight. 

You'd need to eat less of these foods and focus on more nutrient-dense food if you need to put on weight.

There are other great things that you can do to put on weight if you are too skinny or underweight. Eat more frequently, have a banana shake, increase protein consumption, stay hydrated and focus on strength training to curb muscle loss.

Eat according to your needs.

5. Fruit salad may cause diarrhea, bloating, gas and other digestive issues

Bad gut bacteria feed on the added sugar that is found in junk food. Good gut bacteria feed on the plant compounds (called polyphenols) that are found in natural plant foods like tea, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.

Gut bacteria eat the parts of food that we can't digest (fiber) and turn them into useful nutrients and hormones. Did you know that most of your serotonin (happy hormone) is made by gut bacteria?

Every person's gut bacteria profile looks completely different. It is as unique as a fingerprint. Junk food encourages the growth of bad gut bacteria. Healthy food encourages the growth of good gut bacteria.

Gas and bloating from gut bacteria

Gut bacteria produce gas as a by-product of food digestion. This is why it is completely natural for everybody to fart from time to time. This is more likely to occur when you eat foods that you don't usually eat because new bacteria need to colonize your gut to digest the foreign food. This leads to flatulence.

You will notice, for example, that you fart more if you haven't eaten beans for a long time. You will fart less as your digestive system grows accustomed to the new food.

Since gut bacteria eat the fibrous parts of plant foods, you can expect gas when you eat fiber-rich foods like fruit. You will produce more gas if you aren't used to eating as much fruit as there is in a fruit salad. The excess gas can also lead to pain and bloating.

If your digestive system is not accustomed to digesting so much fruit, you may also experience other digestive issues like diarrhea or constipation as well.

Eat a smaller quantity of fruit salad at first to give your digestive system time to adapt if you suffer from digestive issues brought on by fruit salad.

Start small.

The disadvantages of fruit salad might sound numerous after reading this article. Fruit salad is very good for you because it contains fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eat it in moderation and balance it out with other healthy food to stay as healthy as possible. Stay Strong!

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