An extreme dieter has revealed her experience after living on fruit alone for 30 days, which caused some unusual side effects.
Shade Martin, 36, from upstate New York, turned to the radical diet after suffering from debilitating shoulder pain after physical therapy and medications failed to provide relief.
I had read that alkaline fruits, such as pineapple, berries, bananas and mangoes, have anti-inflammatory properties, so it is believed that a higher intake can help relieve pain in the body.
Martin took his restrictive diet one step further and only ate watermelon for the first week.
This was followed by grapes for six days, before a more colorful mix from the fruit bowl was introduced for the rest of their challenge.
Despite such a limited diet, Martin said he had more energy than usual due to the slow release of natural sugars and could also think more clearly.
Research shows that fruit can improve brain function, and a study by Harvard Medical School found that women who ate 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 experienced were almost non-existent menstrual cramps and she lost 10 pounds in weight.
Shade Martin, 36, from upstate New York, decided to turn to an all-fruit diet after suffering from frozen shoulder.
While Ms Martin said there were more benefits to her diet than negatives, she admits it’s not for everyone.
She was already vegan and had done serval juice cleanses in the past, so it was a less radical change than it would be for some people.
Dr. Tracey Brigman, a registered dietitian and professor at the University of Georgia, told DailyMail.com that she doesn’t recommend such an extreme approach.
The diet expert says: ‘While fruit is an excellent source of some nutrients, it does not contain all the nutrients necessary for health.
‘This can result in a variety of health implications. Eating only fruit can lead to deficiencies in protein, healthy fats, and some vitamins and minerals found in other food groups.
“In addition, most fruits are low in calories, which can lead to a lack of caloric intake and fatigue, as it can be difficult to eat enough fruit to meet the necessary caloric intake.
“For this reason, this diet can cause malnutrition.”
Martin admits that his all-fruit diet had some not-so-good effects.
When she ate nothing but grapes, Mrs. Martin said she coughed up large amounts of phlegm.
“It kept showing up… It blew my mind,” she recalled.
Nutritionist Dr. Brigman told this website that, in general, “fruit consumption is generally associated with a reduction in mucus production.”
However, he adds: “It is thought that some fruits that cause the body to release histamine may increase mucus production.
«This occurs mainly in people with sensitivity or intolerance to histamine.
“Some examples of these fruits include citrus fruits, grapes, bananas, and strawberries.”
Because fruits are high in fiber, Martin said he pooped “a lot” more than usual, but this was expected.
Experts at the Cleveland Clinic say this increase in bowel movements is a positive change, as it can cleanse your digestive system and “sweep away waste.”
This removal of waste and toxins can help contribute to overall well-being.
Discussing some of the surprising benefits of her diet, Martin said she experienced fewer menstrual cramps than usual.
In a Q&A with wellness influencer Gillian Berry, she revealed: ‘(In regards to) my menstrual cycle, wow!
Discussing some of the surprising positive benefits of her diet, Ms Martin said she experienced fewer menstrual cramps than usual.
‘I had little to no pain. On a scale of one to ten, it was one to nothing.
In addition to having less pain, the dieter said her cycle was “extremely light” but lasted longer than usual.
Dr. Vinni Makin of the Cleveland Clinic says periods can even stop completely when someone follows a restrictive diet.
Explaining why this happens, he says: ‘When you go through these types 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 missed periods can be an indicator that someone has a nutritional deficiency and “doesn’t have enough fat to support hormone production.”
To get everything back to normal, he suggests increasing your caloric intake.
Another positive for Mrs Martin from following her all-fruit diet was that her skin improved.
Martin took his restrictive diet one step further and only ate watermelon for the first week. This was followed by grapes for six days.
Initially, she said her skin was “extra bright” and then the detox allowed all the toxins in her skin to emerge.
While this caused a few pimples to break out on her forehead, she says the end result is that her skin looks and feels better.
After eating only watermelon and grapes for almost two weeks, Ms. Martin began eating all kinds of different fruits.
As for his daily diet, he started the day with a large glass of lemon or lime water.
Then, after about 20 minutes, she would whip up a 32-ounce smoothie with some of her favorite ingredients, like bananas, dates, blueberries, and cherries.
Throughout the day, instead of three set meals, I ate individual pieces of fruit.
She said the hardest part was watching her husband and daughter eat “normal” foods around her, so she had to distract herself when this happened to avoid cravings.
Overall, he lost 10 pounds by the time the 30 days were up, but he points out that losing weight wasn’t his goal and he never counted calories.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 1.5 to 2 equivalent cups of fruits and two to three equivalent cups of vegetables every day.
However, according to recent CDC data, only about 10 percent of adults in the U.S. meet those recommendations.
Ms Martin says the biggest problem with low fruit consumption is the misconception that it contains too much sugar.
And he concludes: ‘We need fruits, fruits should not be limited in our diet. There is a misconception that this is what causes all these health problems and diabetes, but we still don’t want to mention unhealthy fats.
‘You know, the refined sugars and all the other things… You start eliminating some of those other things from your diet and you’ll see that (fruit) is not the problem, but we need it for brain power, we need This is for the energy and strength of our body.’