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A person who followed an intense diet shared their journey of surviving solely on fruits for one month, experiencing several unexpected consequences.
Shade Martin, aged 36, hailing from upstate New York, adopted an extreme diet when conventional treatments like physical therapy and medications did not alleviate her severe shoulder pain.
She had learned that alkaline fruits –
like pineapples, berries, bananas, and mangoes
– possesses anti-inflammatory qualities, hence a greater consumption might aid in alleviating bodily discomforts.
Ms Martin
she took her limited diet to an even stricter level
, by consuming only watermelons during the initial week.
This was succeeded by grapes for six consecutive days, after which a more vibrant assortment from the fruit bowl was included for the remainder of her challenge.
Even with this restricted menu, Ms Martin mentioned that she felt more energetic than normal due to the gradual release of natural sugars. Additionally, she found herself thinking more clearly as well.
Research shows that fruit can improve brain function and one study by Harvard Medical School found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two-and-a-half years.
Other benefits Ms Martin enjoyed included barely noticeable menstrual cramps and she lost 10 pounds in weight.
Although Ms. Martin mentioned that she experienced more advantages than drawbacks from her dietary choices, she acknowledges that this approach may not suit everybody.
Since she was already a vegan and had completed several juice cleanses before, this transition wasn’t as drastic for her compared to others.
Dr Tracey Brigman, a registered dietitian and professor at the University of Georgia, informed SANGGRALOKA that she does not recommend such an extreme method.
The nutrition specialist states: “Although fruits are a great source of certain vitamins and minerals, they do not provide all the essential nutrients required for good health.”
This may cause several health issues. Consuming just fruits could result in shortages of proteins, beneficial fats, and certain vitamins and minerals present in other food categories.
Furthermore, many fruits have low calories, potentially resulting in insufficient caloric consumption and tiredness since it might be challenging to consume enough fruit to meet the necessary calorie requirements.
‘Therefore, this dietary approach may result in nutritional deficiencies.’
Mrs. Martin acknowledges that her fruit-only regimen did have some not-so-positive outcomes.
While consuming only grapes, Ms Martin mentioned that she expelled large quantities of mucus.
‘I just couldn’t stop… It completely blew me away,’ she remembered.
Nutritionist Dr. Brigman informed this site that generally, ‘eating fruits tends to be linked with a decrease in mucus production.’
Nevertheless, she notes: “It is believed that certain fruits triggering histamine release from your body might lead to an increased production of mucus.”
This primarily happens in people who have a sensitivity or intolerance to histamine.
‘Some examples of these fruits include citrus fruits, grapes, bananas and strawberries.’
As fruits are high in fiber, Ms Martin said she pooped ‘a whole lot’ more than usual but this was something she was expecting.
Experts at the Cleveland Clinic say that this increase in bowel movements is a positive change, as it can clear out your digestive system and ‘sweep waste out’.
This elimination of waste and toxins can help contribute to overall well-being.
On some of the surprising benefits of her diet, Ms Martin said she experienced less period cramping than usual.
During a Q&A session with wellness influencer Gillian Berry, she shared: ‘Regarding my menstrual cycle, oh wow!’
I experienced minimal discomfort. If we rate it from one to ten, it would be close to zero.
In addition to experiencing reduced discomfort, the dieter mentioned that her menstrual flow was ‘very light,’ though it persisted for a more extended period than usual.
Dr. Vinni Makin from the Cleveland Clinic indicates that menstruation might completely stop when an individual follows a very strict dietary regimen.
Explaining why this happens, she says: ‘When you go through these kinds of physical changes, the body interprets it as stress.
‘Your body is conserving all its energy. It stops your menstrual cycle and reduces your hormone production because it only wants to use resources for things that are very, very, very important, like breathing and digesting.’
Dr Makin warns that losing periods can be an indicator that someone is nutritionally deficient and they ‘don’t have enough fat to support that hormone production’.
To get back to normal, she recommends boosting calorie consumption.
A plus point for Ms Martin as she continued with her fruit-only regimen was that her complexion enhanced.
Initially, she said her skin was ‘extra glowy’ and then the detox allowed all of the toxins from her skin to emerge.
Although this led to some pimples appearing on her forehead, she states that the final outcome is healthier-looking and feeling skin overall.
Following just a diet of watermelon and grapes for nearly fourteen days, Ms. Martin began indulging in various types of fruit.
Regarding her everyday eating habits, she begins her day with a big glass of either lemon or lime water.
Next, approximately 20 minutes later, she would prepare a 32-ounce smoothie incorporating some of her preferred components such as bananas, dates, blueberries, and cherries.
Navigating through her daily routine, rather than having three main meals, she opted for snacking on single pieces of fruit.
She mentioned that the toughest aspect for her was seeing her husband and daughter consume ‘regular’ meals in front of her, so she found ways to divert her attention during these moments to avoid feeling tempted.
In total, she shed 10 pounds within the 30-day period; however, shedding weight wasn’t her aim, nor did she keep track of calorie intake.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that grown-ups consume between 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and about two to three cups of vegetables daily.
Nevertheless, as per the latest statistics from the CDC, merely around 10 percent of adults in the United States are fulfilling these guidelines.
Ms Martin argues that the primary issue regarding low fruit intake is the belief that fruits contain an excessive amount of sugar.
She ends with: “Fruits are essential, and they shouldn’t be restricted in our eating habits. It’s a common misunderstanding that they lead to various health problems like diabetes; however, we ought not overlook the impact of unhealthy fats.”
‘You know, the refined sugars and all the other things… You start to remove some of those other things from your diet and you’ll see that [fruit is] not the issue but we need it for brain power, we need it for our body energy and strength.’
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