This article describes the Fruit and Vegetable Diet, a healthy and easy weight loss diet, as well as providing a sample meal plan and snack ideas.
In order to lose weight, most nutritionists recommend that people eat a nutritionally balanced and calorie-controlled diet that contains a significant amount of fruits and vegetables. By basing their meals around fruits and vegetables and consuming small amounts of grains, protein and dairy (or dairy-free calcium sources) at each meal, dieters will be able to lose weight quickly and easily without suffering unbearable hunger pangs.
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The Fruits and Vegetables Diet: Basing One’s Meals Around Plants
In order to lose weight, dieters must eat fewer calories than they expend through exercise. Most fruit and vegetables are relatively low in calories, contain important vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of fiber. Food containing large amounts of fiber will fill one up quickly, which is advantageous when on a diet. By basing one’s meals around delicious sweet fruits and crunchy vegetables, dieters will be able to feel full quickly without going over their calorie limit for the day.
One way to do this is by eating meals that are primarily vegetarian; this well help cut down on the amount of caloric and fiber-deficient meat. Another way is to view meats, grains, and dairy as ornaments to a dish, rather than the centerpiece. Look for recipes that are colorful and contain a wide range of vegetables and fruit, and try to avoid dousing everything in caloric dips and sauces.
By doing this, one is forced to avoid most caloric and heavily processed food. Pizza? Chocolate cake? Milkshakes? Pasta? None of those meet the grade. This diet does mean that one will only consume things that have a relatively high nutritional value, that are relatively low in calories and that are minimally processed.
Fruit and Vegetable Diet Plan: What Should One Eat?
A sample day might entail:
- yogurt and fruit for breakfast
- veggieburger and a huge green salad with nuts and raisins for lunch
- celery with peanut butter for an afternoon snack
- whole grain rice with a vegetarian curry for dinner
- low-calorie baked apples for dessert.
If one becomes hungry between meal times, one is always free to help oneself to additional raw fruit and vegetables. It would be very difficult to gain weight from eating oranges and carrot sticks! One can essentially eat as much produce and fruit as one wants while still managing to lose weight.
Is This Healthy? How Will You Get Your Protein?: Misconceptions about the Fruit & Vegetable Diet
The vegetable and fruit diet is not the same as a raw foods diet, or a vegan diet, or a diet such as the Master Cleanse which restricts dieters to a nutrient-deficient “lemonade”. This diet merely encourages dieters to base their meals around plants while still continuing to consume adequate amounts of calcium (from vegetables, low-fat dairy, or fortified dairy-free products), protein (from beans, nuts, or lean meat), and carbohydrates (from whole grains). As long as one consumes an adequate amount of calories per day, eats a variety of fruits and vegetables, and (ideally) takes a multivitamin, this diet will allow dieters to eat a wide range of delicious and nutritious foods while losing weight and staying healthy.
