After eating fully raw for the past 5 weeks, I’ve been asked many times…
“Do you only eat fruit?”
And
“Why do you eat so much fruit?”
Or, I get skeptical statements like…
“That’s either really healthy, or really unhealthy.”
But regardless of what people think, the truth is, I feel great.
99.9% of what I’ve eaten the last 5 weeks is fruit.
But before this, I was having such a hard time eating overseas. Even though I was eating seemingly healthy foods. I put on stacks of weight – 14 kg IN A MONTH to be exact. I was swelling so bad I couldn’t distinguish between where my calves began and where my ankles ended. My entire body had oedema overload, and my legs were starting to ache. Even when they were elevated they throbbed like a head with a hangover. Then, the last straw was forming varicose veins.
After two months of travelling I was over it. Once I saw the varicose veins on the back of my legs something snapped in me. I convinced myself that food (although I love it) was not the most culturally significant thing to experience whilst travelling. So I sucked it up and I went to the fruit market.
When I stopped eating cooked food and ate 100% fruit, the most remarkable thing happened…
I felt an incredible surge of energy, mountains of motivation, a greater sense of self worth and was way more sociable. On the physical side of things, my skin was significantly less red, had fewer breakouts and produced more moisture. My body was less inflamed, my oedema (swelling/water retention) went away. And my circulation improved to the point of no pain, nor any signs of varicose veins.
My symptoms not only went away, but I felt fantastic!
Even more remarkable, was most of this was felt by day three! Pretty cool, huh? And with no signs of slowing down. A part from a small bout of bloating for the first few days, I keep feeling better and better.
But with all these improved feelings and physical symptoms, I still wondered — what does the literature say? Can someone back me up?
Turns out, yes.
Recently I watched an interview with Dr Michael Gregor where he was asked the very question:
“Can you eat too much fruit?”
In short he replied, “no.” And without hesitation, he said, “the number one problem people have is not eating enough fruit.”
Great. This confirms my individual experience, but I was still curious…what does the science say, specifically? And being a reserved scientific MD, how did he come to be so certain of this conclusion?
Want to find out?
There’s a surprising amount of literature on the subject. Meanwhile, I’ve been sifting my way through it to summarise and share with you.
If you’re someone like me, who likes to know the ‘whys’ and the ‘hows’ of the way things work, then you’ll enjoy this post.
This is what I found…
Fruit, you make me so happy!
After my motorcycle accident in Vietnam, which was initially life threatening, demoralising and extremely distressing. Two days later (once I’d been reunited with some fruit and the basic human rights) I was making jokes, smiling, and laughing at the whole thing.
Even my Aussie doctor (who’s only known me for the duration of my bleak and bothersome skin/gut condition) tells me, “are you sure you are okay? Maybe we should do a head x-ray, caz this is the happiest I’ve seen you in the entire time I’ve known you.”
“Lol…thanks doc.”
I’ve also noticed an unwavering desire to work, create, learn and write, which is wonderful!
But it’s not just me.
Countless cross-sectional studies support the idea that fruits and vegetables have a positive impact on happiness.
One study showed, people who eat more than 8 servings of fruits and veggies report having the highest “life satisfaction” (whilst controlling for other healthy behaviours).
One possible explanation, are fruits’ high levels of vitamin C — a co-factor in the production of a happy hormone called dopamine.
Another, being antioxidants. They not only decrease inflammation, but also associated with higher levels of happiness. The happiness associated with “the realisation of one’s true potential” such as creativity, curiosity and feelings of engagement.
One study even showed eating more fruits and vegetables one day, could predict a more positive mood for the following day.
Hence why I keep on feeling happier. Of course, I still have ups and downs, but my ups are richer and more easily sustained.
Click for Chocolate Smoothie Bowl Recipe
So how much fruit do you have to eat to feel the positive affects?
According to the research I’ve read. To notice a meaningful difference, one must consume at least 7.2 servings of fruit, or 8.2 servings of vegetables.
Examples:
* 1 apple = 1 serving
* 1 banana = 1 serving
* 1/2 cup of about any fruit or vegetable diced = 1 serving
You only need 7.2 servings of fruit a day to experience a significant positive difference.
To give you an idea. For breakfast, I have 1.5 kgs of watermelon which equals 9.1 servings of fruit. That means before midday, I’ve already had my daily “doping” of happy!
For the entire day I have 15-25 servings of raw fruits and vegetables. No wonder I’ve got a new zest for life. …No pun intended.
Fruit, you make me heal so quickly.
Vitamin C increases rates of recovery as well as skin healing.
After my accident I committed to eating fruit only. It’s all I ate in hospital, first class (whilst my dad sat next to me eating aromatic roast duck, and creamy cheesecake), and it’s all I ate when I arrived home.
When I went to get a check up with my doctor he was shocked it’d only happened a week ago. He thought it was a month ago! That’s 4x the expected rate of recovery!
I know, that’s only one person’s opinion. But every ultrasound, X-ray specialist and nurse thereafter said the same thing.
Oh, and there’s also plenty of evidence of this in the literature.
And for more ‘side’ anecdotal evidence my dad started to notice my skin recovery, and my 8-year-old sister came up to me yesterday to say…
“Jess, why is your skin no longer red there, there and there?” Pointing to various places on her face.
With a smirk and a sign of relief, I explained – “it’s because I’m getting better.”
Fruit, not all sugars are created equal.
I’ve got this question and implied skepticism a lot.
What’s the difference between the fructose in fruit and manufactured fructose? It’s the same chemical compound, do they really work differently?
Many studies link refined fructose to hypertension and many other chronic illnesses, but…
The fructose in fruit has no current link to chronic disease or liver issues.
In fact, when comparing a ‘no fructose diet’ with a high ‘fruit fructose diet’, the people on a high fruit fructose diet did better – i.e., they lost more weight.
But what about fresh juice?
I came across two fascinating studies on juice, insulin resistance and glycemic dips.
The first study showed that refined fructose sugar in a glass of water caused an insulin spike and a glycemic dip (or a sudden subsequent sluggishness). Compared with fresh fruit juice (that had more grams of fructose), showing no additional spike, and no dip at the end.
The second study found something even more interesting! The glycemic load of certain foods could be lessened if fruit was added to it!
Meaning, if we eat heavy carbs like bread or pancakes (that normally cause a spike in blood sugar and energy dip), and we add bananas or blueberries to it we can reduce the dip.
But why? And how much fruit?
At the moment scientists put it down to the power of antioxidants, but we don’t know for sure. All we know is what’s practically relevant —
A minimum of 1 cup of fruit is required to lessen the glycemic load.
So next time you’re craving sweet carbs try my blueberry and banana pancakes! 😉
Fruit, and fructose malabsorption.
About a year ago I couldn’t eat any fruit. My skin condition and intestinal problems were so bad I was having allergic reactions to everything — it sucked!
Fast forward a few months, and after some extreme measures, I was able to start eating fruit again.
Though I still struggled with fructose malabsorption. Meaning, my small intestine struggled to absorb excess fructose and other carbohydrates, known as FODMAP’s. Causing intestinal symptoms, followed by a rashy face and itchy skin.
Then I tried the low FODMAP diet. But hated it!
It helped to manage symptoms, but I wanted to eat a variety of healthy foods.. To me it wasn’t a long-term solution I could accept.
The FODMAP diet is only a short-term solution. And not just for me.
Recently, a study found a decrease in the number of beneficial bacteria in the intestines of ‘low FODMAP diet’ followers. Not good.
Fructose malabsorption is associated with many intestinal disorders, such as SIBO which have extremely high relapse rates.
And as a result of this new evidence, some scientist have speculated, that the FODMAP diet could be a contributor to the high relapse rates of these illnesses – NO thank you!
Instead, as strange as it sounds, I did many extended juice fasts.
Now I eat between 15-25 servings of high fructose foods a day without symptoms and steady improvements.
Click for my juice recipes on instagram
So, can you eat too much fruit?
According to Dr Greger “No.” To reiterate — “the number one problem people have is not eating enough fruit!”
And according to the current literature, he’s right.
For me, the more variety I can eat, the healthier and happier I am. The more I do eat, the healthier and happier I become.
Plus, more and more benefits of eating fruit are consistently being uncovered.
So get stuck in!
xx Jess