Fruit & Veggie Diet Plan

For the vegetarian and meat-eater alike, fruits and vegetables are a diet wonder. When consumed regularly, they provide nutritional protection against cancer, obesity and other ailments. Whether you want to improve your health or lose weight, there is a fruit and veggie diet plan that can help you.

Vegan Plan

A vegan diet excludes all meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and honey, usually for health or ethical reasons. Some vegan fruit and veggie plans consist only of fruits and vegetables, while others allow nuts and seeds. A daily menu on such a diet might consist of a fruit salad for breakfast, a vegetable salad for lunch, and a vegetable salad with avocado, nuts and olive oil for dinner.

Omnivorous Plan

Some fruit and vegetable diets, such as the Total Fitness Plan, incorporate meat. This diet by Travis Van Slooten of the Men's Total Fitness website includes at least four servings of fresh vegetables and two servings of fresh fruit each day. "Eating nine or more servings will not only fill you up and prevent you from overeating unhealthy foods, but will also reduce the risk of several forms of cancer," says Van Slooten.

Nutritional Benefits

Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and other chemicals that strengthen the body. "Those who eat more generous amounts (of fruits and vegetables) as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Eating a colorful variety of produce increases the health benefits.

Other Effects

You may feel tired and dizzy upon beginning a vegan fruit and veggie diet plan. These are signs of detoxification, says Dr. Kiki Sidhwa of Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England, who supports a raw vegan fruit and veggie diet. Within a month you should have more energy, feel healthier, be slimmer and be free from at least some of your previous ailments, Sidhwa says.

Considerations

Protein from animal sources is of higher quality than that from fruit and vegetable sources, according to the CDC. Animal protein is "complete protein," meaning that it supplies the body with all the amino acids it needs. Amino acids build and repair tissues and organs, providing strength to the body. For those who do not eat animal protein, the CDC recommends consuming incomplete protein sources daily that complement each other--such as beans and rice--to form complete proteins in the body.