The Sweet Fruits Controversy… Fruit or No Fruit

I used to consume a good quantity of sweet fruits. Half a watermelon and 5-7 pieces of seasonal fruit was a typical day. And I achieved great results. It works. On the other hand, I heard from other authors how great it is to live with no sweet fruits at all. For several years I’ve been wanting to try this approach myself.

The 4-Month No Sweet Fruits Experiment

The rationales these no-sweet fruit promoters were giving did make sense. I had to give it a try. So in December 2009 I began my experiment…Consuming no sweet fruits. I still followed the raw food diet and ate tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers—botanically classified as fruits, though most of us think of them as vegetables. But absolutely no bananas, no berries of any kind, no sweet fruits. Mercifully, I did this in the wintertime when good fruits are harder to obtain anyway. I stuck to it for four months, and I’m ready to share my observations.

More Nuts and Sleep Needed

When I eliminated all sweet fruits from my diet, I noticed immediately that I had to double my quantity of nuts. Before, my energy level was going through the roof. Without sweet fruits, my energy level definitely dropped. Before, I needed five, at most six hours’ sleep. Without fruit, I was needing seven. Practicing yoga twice per day used to be a breeze. Now it became harder. I can see how athletes would favor a high-fruit, low-fat diet.

Improvement in Dental Health

So, why didn’t I abandon it right away? Simple answer: because of the amazing results I was getting dentally. I’d had seven root canals done in Russia before I was 25, and keeping my gums in good shape around these troubled teeth has always been a challenge. But with no sweet fruits, I have to say, my gums have never looked better. I can see how people who deal with infections or cancers in their bodies can benefit from abstaining from any sugar, including sweet fruits. There’s another difference to report: Gaining extra muscle became easier. I even gained a few pounds—pounds of muscle. So it seems people who need to gain weight might prefer this diet plan. It also works for this purpose.

One thing remained constant during my experiment, however: I still was following my Quantum Eating plan and did not eat late in the day. Overall, I was doing well on both plans—fruit and no-fruit—and I was getting anti-aging benefits on both plans. I believe that how much we eat and when we eat are just as important as what we eat.