Fruit Diet: Get Fit on Fruit

Eat fruit and get fit? Sounds like a joke, right? Nope. There’s just too many benefits from fruit to ignore or exclude them from your diet.

People on a mission to lose weight will try almost anything. They can get pretty desperate.

If you scan the pages of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine, you’ll see a lot of sample diets from prominent fitness folks. They’re usually pretty cut and dry chicken, broccoli, and occasional brown rice diets. Blah. Blah. Blah.

You'll hardly ever see bodybuilders wolfin’ down fruit smoothies. Ever see a muscle building ad with a ripped lady eating a handful of grapes? Nope. For a long time, I didn’t understand. I mean, fruit is healthy, right? Why don’t the hardcore fitness mags push them? In fact, they almost make fruit out to be an evil. They hardly discuss it at all.

Then it hit me: they can’t make money with fruit. They’ve got to push lots of supplements and protein. It’s not like they can profit from apples and oranges. Prepackaged edible widgets are all the rage.

In reality, fruit is a human’s natural food. We were made for it. Our bodies need it. It supplies many of the nutritional components we need to live. Not just survive – but live healthily. What’s the used of having a fit looking body if you’re an unhealthy cancer breeding ground? Doesn’t make very much sense, in my opinion.

Can you get lean and hard and eat fruit? The answer is, unequivocally, YES.

Vegan bodybuilder (non-competitive)

So why should fruit be a large part of your diet? Some top reasons are:

According to Medicine Net, fruits can help reduce the risk of many diseases. Cancer risk is much lower in individuals that eat ample fruits. Blood pressure can also be lowered by eating fruits, along with a healthy diet plan. Because fruits are nutritional powerhouses, they can even help reduce the risks and effects of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Fruits do not contain many calories. Since they offer healthy energy, without too many calories, they make an excellent food to incorporate to a weight loss or weight management program. Not only are fruits low in calories, but they contain a generous amount of fiber, which promotes satiety. Another benefit for those on weight loss programs is that fruits consist of large amounts of water, adding bulk and volume to meals.

Fruits contain large amounts of various vitamins and minerals that make them a top priority in a healthy diet. The CDC reports that fruits are an excellent source of potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Potassium, which helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, can be found in tomatoes and prunes. Vitamin A, which promotes healthy eyes and skin, is found in cantaloupe and pumpkin. A single serving of cantaloupe, for example, has 120% of the daily value for Vitamin A.

Vitamin C has many benefits, including a stronger immune system, and healthier gums and teeth. Kiwi, cantaloupe, oranges, mangoes, and strawberries are all good sources of Vitamin C.

I eat fruit with every meal. That’s five times a day for me. I’m still lean. I know of lots of folks who eat tons of fruit and have low body fat percentages. There’s a great discussion of people who live fit lifestyles who eat nothing but fruit. It’s an interesting read. Richard Blackman is incredibly fit and is a fruitarian for Pete’s sake. Not that I’m promoting that; I’m only trying to show that eating fruit won’t thwart your muscle building or weight loss efforts.

Oh, and the picture of the guy at the top of the page? He's a vegan bodybuilder named Kristopher Flannery. Nice, huh?

(Note: If you’re in pre competition mode, yes, you’ve got to be slightly stricter with your diet. Sugars, even natural ones, may slow progress if you’re trying to achieve extremely low body fat percentages. But, even if you decide to eliminate fruit during this period, it’s still only temporary – for a few weeks...tops. When normal, healthier eating is resumed, add fruit right back in.)

Fruit does not make you fat. If you carefully plan your diet, fruit can be easily incorporated, without compromising it. In fact, fruit in your diet with improve your health, your vitality, and boost your longevity. Plus, it tastes AWESOME. Isn’t it worth it?

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