Fruits are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals that can be essential in fastening recovery from several illnesses and conditions. Due to their plant-based nature, eating fruits can be beneficial, mainly because of their low fats and calorie levels, as well as their rich nutrients. But did you know fruits can also have several disadvantages resulting in serious health problems?
It seems absurd that some people can ignore even the essential nutrients and opt to eat fruits alone. This is most common with people who take specific fruits with expectations of certain reactions in their bodies. So, in case their expectations fail, someone opts to overdose on the fruit intake, not being aware of the risk they are exposing themselves to.
Fruits are incredibly essential in the perfect running of the body. But for some people getting fresh fruits can be somewhat challenging. They, therefore, result in taking processed fruits as fruit juices. And if they happen to come across raw fruits, the first idea is always to stalk them. Since fruits have a low shelf life, their preparation and storage measures could cause different health effects.
These are 15 potential downsides of eating fruits:
1. Sugar Imbalance
You must have heard of diabetes and other blood sugar problems. These are results of insufficient production of insulin and also taking too much medication. It could also be the result of exercising more than usual.
When in such a condition, most people assume that different fruits can help boost the body’s immunity. Although it might be a good thing, it is important to follow a physician’s prescription as you’ll need guidance on what exact levels to take.
For instance, taking more than 15g of carbohydrates could be somewhat risky for a weak immune system. More so, fruits with high sugar levels, such as bananas, pineapples, and mangoes, could risk spiking the already present level of a sugar problem.
2. Tooth Decay
That bitter but sweet taste in fruit is also a risk to your body. Despite its health benefits, citric acid is at a high risk of tooth decay because it tends to erode down the enamel of the teeth with increased consumption. This case is more serious in people who hardly maintain their oral hygiene and can lead to tooth sensitivity and pain.
3. Weight Gain
Fruits are the first option we all go for when we notice an increase in our weight. Grapefruits, berries, and stone fruits all work effectively towards burning calories in the body because of their high fiber rates.
But unless you are working out to reduce your weight, eating these fruits alone will not help. Instead, their increased consumption will risk increasing your weight more than it was because you are not burning any fats.
4. Increased Cravings
A human being’s brain is like a computer that takes what you feed it. However, the brain can tend to exaggerate when you get your body used to some specific meal at a specific time.
The brain grasps the memory and releases the pleasure for that food in the form of various hormones. Therefore, whether you are hungry or not, when it’s your usual time to take the fruit, your brain creates a craving to keep the trend for pleasure.
As a result, unless you are keen enough, you may find yourself eating disorderly just to satisfy the cravings. Once you make it a habit, trying to stop eating fruit may trigger mood swings. As a result, it may affect your general reaction and response to important life issues that need fast decision-making.
5. Digestive Issues
Fruits contain fruit sugar known as fructose, which is broken down at times in the body to produce energy. However, overconsumption of fructose can cause diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. It also leads to indigestion, constipation, and other stomach problems.
6. Heart Problems
Excessive digestion of fructose tampers with insulin production leading to fat accumulation in the body.
As a result of fats building up in the blood vessels, the blood flow is affected. It results in high blood pressure for the heart to push the blood through fat-clogged arteries. Therefore, it can result in heart attacks and other heart diseases.
7. Brain Issues
Excess fructose in the body triggers inflammation in the brain cells. So unless it is controlled and the levels of high carbohydrate-fruits intake reduced, it can lead to multiple neurological disorders.
8. Kidney Diseases
In your body, blood is filtered through the kidneys to remove wastes and extra water. However, the more fructose you consume, the more you are likely to increase uric acid levels. The acid, in turn, causes damage and scars on the kidney and can lead to kidney failure as well.
9. Body Weakness and Moodiness
Some people are often fond of eating lots of fruits but not balancing them with other balanced diets. However, what you did not know about it is that an imbalanced diet in your body reduces the release of serotonin hormones.
A reduction of this hormone, in turn, affects general body functions, thus moodiness, lack of appetite, mood disruption, and an imbalance in sexual desires.
10. Food poisoning
Unless you only consume cooked fruits, you are likely to consume toxins that could result in germs ingestion in your body. So if you do enjoy eating fruits, it may be high time to watch what fruits you eat and their preparation procedures.
Poison may also be present in certain types of fruit seeds, which may cause headaches, nausea, and constriction of the throat when ingested.
11. Asthma Attacks
This health issue occurs when someone is used to taking raw fruits but lacks some to take when there is a shortage of them. This person will most probably resolve to take processed fruit or their products as a substitute for raw fruits.
But today’s food industry uses lots of chemicals in preservation. Such food chemicals trigger asthma in the form of food allergies.
12. Liver Problems
Fruits contain fructose compounds that increase depending on the type of fruit and the amount consumed. The levels can be somewhat high in rich fruits such as raisins and some dry fruits. It, in turn, leads to inflammation of the liver because of the increased fats in the blood.
13. Seizures and Unconsciousness
Eating too many fruits, such as lychee fruits which contain lots of water and carbs, could lead to hypoglycemia in the body.
In addition to affecting insulin production, this results in certain organ failures that can also affect the nerve tissues, exposing the body to frequent seizures.
14. Impaired Breathing
It does not occur frequently, but it is a common side effect of too much water from fruits. However, it is not a result of any fruit, but fruits with over eighty percent of water. Such fruits include melons with the highest percentage, oranges, apricots, peaches, blueberries, pineapples, raspberries, and plums.
15. Chest Pains
Several fruits do contain acrylamide compounds. However, not all raw fruits have this compound, but it is common in dried fruits such as figs, raisins, pears, bananas, and apricots.
Increased consumption of these fruits exposes the body to acrylamide risking chest pains and shortness of breath.
This article was co-authored by our team of writers and editors who share one thing in common: their passion for food and drinks!