Learning you have a sensitivity to fruit or fructose can take the wind right out of your sails. FRUIT!?! It’s incredible how many people struggle to digest fruits or have an allergy to fruits and don’t even know it. Surprisingly, most people who are sensitive to fruit notice considerable changes in their bodies after they remove it from their diet.
Before the convenience of grocery stores, non-equatorial people enjoyed fruit seasonally and in moderation. It was considered a rare treat for just a few weeks of the year. Instead, fruit is now readily available on our grocery store shelves 12 months of the year. Consequently, many people have fruit multiple times a day, every day.
Often the easiest way to remove fruit from your life is to replace it with foods you like just as much as fruit. However, it is beneficial to have 5-9 servings of produce each day. So, replacing fruit with vegetables is a great idea. Vegetables can help maintain healthy levels of antioxidants and vitamins in your diet.
Substitutions
Smoothie
Are you crazy about your breakfast smoothie? Consider trying this recipe for a fruit-free smoothie or this pineapple smoothie below:
- 1 c nut milk, hemp or rice milk
- ½ c pineapple (remember pineapple is safe for most fruit intolerant people.)
- 1 cup baby spinach or kale
- 2 T collagen or protein powder
- 1 T hemp seeds
- 1-2 T walnuts or pumpkin seeds or about 6 brazil nuts.
Oil
- Instead of coconut oil, try using butter or ghee.
- Instead of olive or avocado oil, try using a different nut oil like walnut or macadamia nut oil.
- Love cherry pie? Try rhubarb pie, pumpkin pie, or pecan pie instead.
- Try making a salad dressing with rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Our experts think the best fruit free wine is rhubarb wine.
Alcohol
Are you not sure about what cocktail to order anymore? Most liquors and beers are free of fruit. You can try carrot wine or dandelion wine.
Sweets and Treats
First, think about what you crave after dinner. Many people choose a healthy treat like an apple, but this could cause issues. For example, a Peppermint Patty, Milk or Dark Chocolate (plain or almond ex. dark chocolate almond bars), Candied ginger, or even these granola bars!
Second, consider what types of tea you usually drink. There are loads of great herbal teas that don’t contain fruit. For example, try the following: Peppermint, Spearmint, Chamomile, Lemon Grass, Lemon Balm, Black Tea, Green Tea, Hibiscus, Ginger, and Cinnamon.
Third, consider hidden fruit in bread and muffins. For instance, try using pumpkin or squash instead of banana in baked goods.
Overall, the best trick we can give you about removing fruit from your diet is doing it in baby steps. Give yourself a week or two to wrap your brain around it. Then, I think you will find your groove and learn your favorite upgrades!
