What If You Stop Eating Fruits and Vegetables
By Sara Butler
You can admit it: You’ve wondered what would happen to your body if you cut out fruits and vegetables and just lived off bacon for a year. Who wouldn’t want to live off bacon for a year? It turns out that the American diet isn’t too far from it. It’s not uncommon for people to miss the minimum amount of servings of fruits and vegetables over the course of the day.
Think about it: You have oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and spaghetti for dinner – it’s easy to do and it’s a menu that has neglected any substantial fruits and vegetables throughout the entire day. Half of your plate at any meal should be made up of fruit and veg, and if you’re not getting enough of it then you are doing a real disservice to your body. In fact, here’s how a diet low in fruit and veg can impact your body.
You'll Take a Trip to Mood Swing City
If you skip your fruits and vegetables you are going to get cranky. People might call you “Crankisaurus Rex” behind your back. Your brain needs glucose and carbs to function at its best, so if you’re trying to cut carbs and as a result are cutting out much-needed fruit and veg, then you won’t be any fun to be around, and you’ll probably have trouble focusing, too.
You Won’t Get Enough Fiber
If you don’t have enough fruit and veg in your world then you are almost definitely not going to be getting enough dietary fiber. This is harmful not just because it might make you a bit irregular, but it also increases your risk of heart disease, obesity and even certain types of cancer. An apple a day may actually keep the doctor away.
You’ll Eat More Calories
The key to reducing your calorie consumption over the course of the day is to eat fruits and vegetables. This is because fruit and veg are relatively low in calories but high in fiber and water content, which fills you up for longer. Without these things, you will eat food higher in calories and it won’t make you nearly as satisfied.
Studies have found the more fruits and vegetables a person eats, the smaller their waist circumference and the healthier their body weight – so if you want to be healthy, there’s no way around getting your full 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables over the course of a day.