What Happens to Your Body If You Don’t Eat Certain Fruits!

Do you ever wonder what might be the best gift we have from mother nature? Well for me it’s FRUITS. Breakfast? Have fruits. Lunch? Have fruits. Wanna munch on snacks? Have fruits again!!! For me there’s no time to eat fruits. But, have you ever thought what happens when you don’t eat fruits?

There are some weird creatures out there who tend to avoid fruits. A study from Johns Hopkins University showed that only 11 percent of adults ate the USDA-recommended three servings of fruits per day. Not only are these people deprived of the glorious natural flavors but they suffer from nutritious deficiencies as well.

Laura Moore, a registered dietitian at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health says that many deficiencies can have unpleasant side effects.

Although other food contain nutrients as well but fruits and veggies specifically contain high concentrations and are therefore great sources of them. Here’s are some of the consequences of not eating fruit:

1. CONSTIPATION

Some fruits contain cellulose, which increases stool weight, eases passage, and reduces transit time while fiber found in apples, kiwis, prunes or any citrus fruits helps to alleviate or prevent constipation, stimulates the GI tract muscles so they retain their strength and allow pressure free bowel movements.

By not eating such fruits you’re more prone to digestive ailments such as constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

You must’ve heard the proverb, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well there is no doubt in the fact that consumption of Apple has unidentifiable benefits.

2. INCREASES YOUR RISK OF CANCER

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), nothing can protect you against cancer—however a diet filled with plant-based foods can help lower your cancer risk.

Full of antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and carotenoids, fruits may reduce cancer risks by protecting healthy cells from free radicals.

Carotenoids pigments including beta-carotene, found in deep orange fruits, sweet potatoes, squash, green veggies and carrots—may protect against cellular damage which is associated with lower rates of cancer.

By not eating such fruits, your body doesn’t get enough vitamins and carotenoids which makes you more prone to cancer.

Also cancer is linked with excessive fat according to numerous studies. Consuming unhealthy food instead of low fat fruits might increase your fat level, which in return increases cancer risk.

3. MIGHT RESULT IN WEIGHT GAIN

It’s true that fruits have a relatively low energy density, meaning they offer fewer calories per unit of weight.

Therefore they provide bulk to your diet but don’t overload you with calories, and their water and fiber content helps you feel full and prevents you from overeating – basically its helpful if you are trying to lose weight.

Replacing fruits and vegetables with full of fat unhealthy food items with a high energy density, such as cheese or fatty meat, can hinder your efforts to maintain a healthy body weight.

Personally, I prefer having fruits like berries, grapes or oranges for junk instead of snacks. They not only reduce sugar and snack cravings but fill your appetites along too.

4. WORSE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

Having balanced proportions of potassium and sodium in your diet is a key factor to manage your cardiovascular health. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a large number of the people in the US consume too much sodium and too little potassium.

By eating plenty of fruits like bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots and grapefruits, which are all quite rich in potassium, you can help restore the balance of these minerals. Not eating these may increase your risk of high blood pressure or stroke.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study proves that a diet rich in fruits and veggies can reduce blood pressure. While for people who already had hypertension, the diet reduced their blood pressure as much as medications did.

While the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study showed that compared with those who ate less than 1.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, people who ate eight or more a day were thirty percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

5. YOU MIGHT BECOME DEPRESSED

Although unproven till date, researchers predict a connection between what we eat and our mental health. A Spanish study recently revealed that people with a diet high in fruits and vegetables experienced lower rates of developing depression.

It’s still unknown as to why exactly fruits and veggies may have this protective effect on mental health, but it might be because deficiencies in nutrients such as pantothenic acid and vitamin B6 could possibly be the cause of depression in those who don’t consume enough of them.

To avoid such problems you should consume more bananas, mushrooms, squashes and avocados!!

7. DEHYDRATION

Wanna stay hydrated with a bit of flavor? Well fruits such as apricots, blueberries, oranges, peaches, pineapples, plums and raspberries contain over eighty percent water!!

Water along with regulating body temperatures, eliminates toxins, carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and provides a moist environment for body tissues and joints.

Fruits like mentioned above contain large quantities of water in proportion to their weight. When eaten, the water can be absorbed by the body. Not consuming such fruits causes dehydration and problems like acne, constipation and kidney problems.

Not only are fruits good for your health but they’re tasty and full of flavors as well. Why wouldn’t you wanna eat something that not only helps your cravings but keeps you from gaining weight too?

I hope next time you search for a munchy in the fridge, you grab a fruit instead and fight everything that keeps you from being healthy!!