THE VEGETABLE-FRUIT DIET
Have you ever wondered if there’s any way to lose weight, restore young looks, improve cognitive functioning and overall health simultaneously? The promoters of The Vegetable-Fruit Diet allege that all of this and more is possible through sticking with specific fruit and vegetables for several days to several weeks.
This kind of therapeutic fast is claimed to restore your inner harmony through cleansing your body from toxins, parasites, strengthening your immune system, and shifting to so-called “internal nutrition”. This phrase refers to the process of using blood clots, dead cells, scar tissue, fat reserves, etc. by the body, occurring when glucose intake is highly limited. It’s the main cause of recuperation observed by the patients who tried fasting treatment.
The Vegetable-Fruit Diet involves eliminating high-calorie foods, highly-processed products, refined sugar, white flour, products of animal origin. Instead, we should implement food with a trace amount of protein and fat, rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, and other biologically active substances.
We can choose from a wide variety of low-starchy vegetables such as e.g. carrot, celery, parsley, cabbage, radish, cauliflower, onion, garlic, pumpkin, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc. At this stage, we should avoid potatoes and legumes. Our meals can also contain low-sugar fruit, e.g. berries, apples, lemons.
We may eat our meals in the form of salads, soup, raw or freshly squeezed juice. While coffee alcohol or any sweetened beverages are strictly forbidden, we may drink water, herbal or fruit tea, vegetable broths, and juices made of the above-mentioned products.
To avoid relapse after weight loss, your diet after fast should be based on vegetables and fruit as well, however, it’s good to slowly add legumes, whole-grain products, nuts, and dairy. The advocates of The Vegetable-Fruit Diet encourage you to eliminate meat from your diet for good, as, according to them, it’s one of the main causes of chronic diseases.
Fasting can actually help you live longer! Reams of research show its potential in extending the lifespan, preventing cancer, heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and improving health markers. However, in terms of weight loss, I’d remain skeptical. Although such calorie restriction certainly facilitates the process, we need to take a closer look at the body composition after the fast. In the absence of intense workouts and with a highly limited protein intake, your body may convert the proteins from your muscle tissue into energy. Therefore, in that case, weight loss doesn’t necessarily translate into an attractive appearance in the mirror.
