An extreme dieter has broken down how her body responded when she lived off nothing but fruit for a whole month.
When it comes to food, most people try and mix up their diet now and again to help with their overall goals. Some foods might get dropped or eaten more frequently to help lose weight, sleep better, concentrate more or some other health benefit.
But how many people have thought about just eating strictly fruits?
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Well 36-year-old Shade Martin from New York decided to give it a go and has now spoken out about the benefits and drawbacks of the bizarre diet.
Ahead of starting the diet, Martin was suffering with shoulder pain and didn’t seem to be having much success with physical therapy and drugs.
She had read that alkaline fruits like berries, bananas, pineapple and mangos can have anti-inflammatory properties so hoped they would aid in her recovery.
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Explaining her diet in a Q&A with wellness influencer Gillian Berry, she said she only ate watermelon for the first week and followed this up with only eating grapes for 6 days. After this she added in a more colorful mix of fruits.
Speaking on the benefits, Martin said she had more energy than usual because of the slow release of natural sugars and she was also able to think clearer.
She also said she had near non-existent period cramps and she lost 10lb in weight.
But for all of the diets potential benefits, Martin was honest about the not-so great effects it had on her body.
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She explained that when she was eating nothing but grapes she coughed up vast amounts of phlegm. She also added that due to fruits being high in fiber, she was going to the bathroom a whole lot more than usual, but this was to be expected.
Dr Tracey Brigman, who is a a registered dietician and professor at the University of Georgia reflected on this diet by Martin and said she wouldn’t advise it due to its extreme nature.
Speaking to the Mail Online she said: “While fruit is an excellent source of some nutrients, it does not contain all the nutrients needed for health.
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“This can result in a variety of health implications. Eating only fruit can lead to deficiencies in protein, healthy fats and some vitamins and minerals found in other food groups.
“Additionally, most fruits are low calorie, which can lead to lack of calorie intake and fatigue as it may be difficult to eat enough fruit to reach required calorie intake.
“For this reason, this diet can lead to malnutrition.”
Topics: Food and Drink, Health