Living a Healthy Life
By Prateek Jain
After years of suffering from IBS, and finding no relief in medical science, I started out on a quest to find the benefits of fruits and vegetables on our health and mind. I did a 2 year long experiment just to find the effects of eating fruits and vegetables on a human body. Although the initial detox period due to quitting salt, sugar, processed foods and grains was quite difficult, but surprisingly the results I obtained after the detox period were amazing.
Here are 10 Amazing benefits of making fruits & vegetables the center of your diet.
1.) More Energy:
The initial phase of the detox is very difficult to handle but once the phase passes, you will surprisingly have more energy. Your brain starts to work more efficiently, and your body will no longer feel lethargic and heavy.
2.) Great skin:
When I was on a detox diet of fruits and veggies only, surprisingly all my pimples vanished within first few months, the complexion of my skin turned fairer and any signs of ageing simply ceased to exist. In two years of experiment I performed, my skin revealed just by visual inspection that my ageing had slowed down considerably. For those who are beauty freaks like me, this is absolute must to try for your skin. Tomatoes, grapes, pomegranate are all great for skin.
3.) Undisturbed sleep:
Centering your diet around fruits & vegetables (raw or stewed) does infect help you sleep better. Since you are not eating anything that taxes your body in anyway, when you turn to bed to sleep, there are no gas forming rotting elements lying in your gut that would otherwise disturb ones sleep. Also it takes care of you not overeating before you sleep. Even if one does overeat its non taxing.
4.) Goodbye Constipation:
One of the most surprising finding was that I was no longer constipated as I used to be, and my bowels were happy. I had absolutely no problem of constipation after I was done with the diet, and till today I always resort to the same strategy if I ever get constipated, and I rarely get constipated (thanks to the 2 year detox regime). Though such a long detox is not promoted, and a detox of just few days every few months is a much better option.
5.) Heals internal wounds:
There is very little doubt that a diet entered around fruits and natural foods does heal internal wounds. Before I started with the diet I was having excruciating pains in my stomach due to ulcers. I ate only papaya for a month, and viola my internal ulcers were healed fully like it was some kind of magic pill. In-fact no other pill worked to remove the ulcers.
6.) Vitamins and minerals:
Our modern diet though sufficient in portions, fats and sugars, is not sufficient enough in vitamin, minerals and salts. It is simply not enough to pop vitamins pills and expect magic to happen. Also it is simply not feasible to spend such a huge amount of money on supplements (considering all the vitamins and minerals that exist). The easier and safest way to get them are fruits since they are loaded with vitamins and minerals and they cost not nearly as much as those supplements. Fruits like grapes have flavonoids which act as antioxidants and helps slow down ageing.
7.) Avoid cancer:
It is very well established that having 5 serving of fruits daily reduces the risk of cancer, autoimmune problems among various other diseases. Chemo is nasty but fruits & vegetables are tastier and cheaper option in the long run.
8.) Stay hydrated:
They say “humans are 70% water, basically cucumbers with anxiety.” Cucumbers are excellent source of water, and needless to say fruits like watermelon, melons , grapes are filled with water too. When you are on diet entered around fruits and vegetables, you automatically get a balanced intake of water. During the detox phase your may feel more thirsty , but after the detox the need for drinking water will subside, especially since body will start maintaining correct salt and ph levels.
9.) Dark circles:
Ever thought why the bags under your eyes keep growing even after trying all those creams, concealers , serums, vitamins and stuff. Yes, the answer is diet. Fruits and vegetables help you get the vitamins & minerals needed, they help you sleep better, and they keep you hydrated which in turn stabilizes one’s metabolism. All these contribute to you having less bags and dark circles under your eyes. Yes a simple change in diet does all of this.
10.) Happiness:
In case you didn’t know, let me tell you, our mental state partly constitutes what we eat too. If we eat too much processed food and sugars we will have anxieties, and with time pain too due to damage it causes to our bodies (autoimmune problems are more common than ever). If we eat too oily or fried, we feel lethargic and sleepy, and that's what exactly happens after we have our lunch. Surprise surprise fruits and veggies alter our mood too. Being alkaline foods they alter the ph of our body and keep the metabolism in check which in turn keeps our mind and our overall self healthy.
The benefits are many, but for some reason we have been accustomed to the diet of eating packed and processed foods, which stimulate our brains and make us addictive to them. Canned fruits and vegetables are full of preservatives and do not provide benefits to the maximum. In-fact they may do more harm than any good. So get some real fruits and vegetables today, make the change gradually and munch your life away to a healthy heart and soul.
Disclaimer: This is not a medical advice for any disease. This is observation from personal experience, and by no means can be used to cure any form of disease. All photos are from Pixabay and are free to use.