# Is it OK to avoid fruit as long as you eat vegetables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495 "2012-02-21T03:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/21 "2012-02-21T23:47:51Z")
It wouldn’t be “instead a fruit”. There’s no law that says a vegetable can’t be a fruit, and in fact many of them are. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/22 "2012-02-21T23:54:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It wouldn’t be “instead a fruit”. There’s no law that says a vegetable can’t be a fruit, and in fact many of them are. Fine. It’s not my psychological idiosyncrasy, and I think I’ve explained it as far as it is possible for me to do so. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/23 "2012-02-22T00:47:56Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Can you really categorically reject all fruit of any kind? It’s a pretty broad term, and includes many things that are pretty much the same as “vegetables” in texture and taste. Not all fruit is sweet and juicy. What if someone told you that your favorite “vegetable” were actually a “fruit”? My brother’s solution to this dilemma was to avoid eating most vegetables as well. He figures that Mountain Dew, Burger King and Skittles can be supplemented with a multivitamin to make a healthy diet. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/24 "2012-02-22T00:52:00Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > In my husband’s case, being force-fed by older siblings. There’s more to the story than that, but that’s the basic gist. > [@Reply](#): > > I think the first fruit-like thing I ever experienced was a really sour tomato that I was forced to have in kindergarten. From then on I pretty much associated “round and juicy” with “abject horror”. > > And then I spent a summer with my uncle, who would chase me around his house with a toy plastic baseball bat trying to get me to eat my daily servings of fruit before I could go or do anything else. And whenever we went out for a hike, he’d bring along an apple and hover over me until I finished it to the core. All I wanted to do was walk and watch the damned deer, not be forced to tears at the thought of another disgusting apple. Geez. And to think I’ve always been skeptical about the need to [defend oneself against fruit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piWCBOsJr-w). ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/25 "2012-02-22T01:06:15Z")
A recent study showed that fruit consumption SEPARATE from vegetable consumption is correlated to a lower risk of uterine fibroids: [http://wsau.com/news/articles/2011/nov/16/more-fruit-tied-to-lower-risk-of-uterine-fibroids/](http://wsau.com/news/articles/2011/nov/16/more-fruit-tied-to-lower-risk-of-uterine-fibroids/) I wouldn’t say that’s really a huge health issue in itself, but it does show that there is a possibility that fruit have beneficial effects in addition to those of vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![tadtooornamental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@tadtooornamental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadtooornamental)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/26 "2012-02-22T01:54:57Z")
[quote=“Martian Bigfoot, post:17, topic:613495”] Well, from a weight loss perspective, it’s a simple matter of calories per serving, same as everything else. A banana clocks in at about 100, while a cucumber only has 8. _1/2 cup_ of cucumber has 8 calories. An entire cucumber is closer to 50. Still better than 100, but not quite as amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/27 "2012-02-22T02:07:36Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Can you really categorically reject all fruit of any kind? It’s a pretty broad term, and includes many things that are pretty much the same as “vegetables” in texture and taste. Not all fruit is sweet and juicy. What if someone told you that your favorite “vegetable” were actually a “fruit”? Well, like what? I do like sauteed zucchini, which I think is considered a fruit, and some juices (though I rarely drink them). That’s about it, though, and I don’t consume any of those on a very regular basis. If someone told me my favorite vegetable was a fruit, I’d go “Oh. I guess that’s an exception.” and continue to dislike the remaining 99%. It’s an observation more than a religion, y’know? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/28 "2012-02-22T07:00:24Z")
I haven’t eaten much fruit in years. I’m not dead yet so I don’t think it’ll kill you. I crave it every once in awhile but not often. As a diabetic I was told to never drink fruit juice; if you have to have it eat the fruit for the fiber. But I like mangoes. And dates. Walnut stuffed dates. 😃 And I put apple and rasins in my curry. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/29 "2012-02-22T07:54:33Z")
Here’s the data, believe it or not, if not, I will find the science… Fruit is fattening… eating fat is not fattening. Don’t kill the messenger ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/30 "2012-02-22T17:37:57Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > I stopped eating fruit two years ago… a fructose thing. The fruit of today is nothing like that of our ancestors. Bred for sickly sweetness. I would say that it’s bred to look good, be big, survive transport and have a nice, long shelf life. Taste is a secondary concern. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/31 "2012-02-22T21:37:59Z")
1. Fruit **instead** of dessert, sweets or snacks is good calorie-wise. Fruit **in addition to** desserts, sweets and snacks means too much calories. 2. Not all fruits are equal, as not all veggies are equal. Bananas have an absurdly high calorie count, but also provide a lot of kalium. Bananas 5 times a day is therefore too much, as compared to apples 5 times a day. 3. Don’t limit yourself to the five or six type of fruits you are familiar with. Esp. if you want to replace all veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers too?) with fruits, you need to look at one of those tables that list the mineral and vitamins contained on average in fruit X to replace veggie Y. E.g. broccoli has one of the highest counts for something (Selen? Iron? Iod?), so if you don’t eat it because bleargh, you need to look what else has the same something and eat appropriate amounts. 4. The German Cancer (Prevention) society recommends “Five handfuls (=that is a portion the size of a handful) of fruits or veggies per day.” Nothing about “veggies must be included”. Further benefit is if you manage to vary the colours (yes, the colourmolecules are also healthy). Strong taste and strong colour are better than weak ones. Sadly a lot of fruits and veggies have been adapted in the past 100 years to taste much sweeter and thus contain more sugar and less of the healthy bitter molecules than past variants. On the other hand, better to eat those new ones than none at all and only french fries! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/32 "2012-02-24T04:12:27Z")
[quote=“tadtooornamental, post:26, topic:613495”] > [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Well, from a weight loss perspective, it’s a simple matter of calories per serving, same as everything else. A banana clocks in at about 100, while a cucumber only has 8. > > _1/2 cup_ of cucumber has 8 calories. An entire cucumber is closer to 50. Still better than 100, but not quite as amazing. And of course, a cucumber IS a fruit as well. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/33 "2012-02-24T06:56:53Z")
Fruit is nature’s sweet snack, and should be eaten only a couple times a week. Fruits are the prime source for certain nutrients, although it won’t kill you if you don’t eat them. ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/34 "2012-02-24T14:03:36Z")
GreenElf: “Fruit is nature’s sweet snack, **and should be eaten only a couple times a week**.” Got a cite for that? ---
**Author:** ![StephanieH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@StephanieH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephanieH)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/35 "2012-02-24T16:18:29Z")
I think it’s ok to avoid fruit if you eat vegetables as long as you recieve all necessary vitamins your body needs. If there is everything ok with your health, there shouldn’t be a reason why you should definitely eat fruits. Have you asked about it your doctor? I mean, we can give you millions of opinions here, but without knowing your background and physical specifics we might give you not the right solutions. ---
**Author:** ![DanaS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@DanaS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanaS)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/36 "2013-07-18T14:02:31Z")
A few years ago, my weight started to increase steadily. I’d like to mention that I go to the gym 5x a week, I’m an active person, I don’t drink pop or eat junk food, and I maintain a healthy diet. A friend of mine, in the meantime, was losing weight in a healthy manner and looked great. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she’d stopped eating fruit and was on the Paleo Diet. I was shocked that she wasn’t eating fruit, based on what I’ve been told all my life, which is that you have to eat fruit or you’ll get sick. Early this year, I was having a problem with yeast so I went on a yeast-cleanse diet that, interestingly enough, was very similar to the Paleo diet - except fruit wasn’t allowed. Neither was any other type of sugar because sugar feeds yeast. Well, since April, I have lost 30 lbs. The yeast cleanse diet says you can incorporate berries and green apple into your diet after you are free of yeast, as both don’t have much sugar. I may do that, but in the meantime, I’m getting my fiber, C and antioxidants from other things, such as vegetables, nuts and seeds. Search Google to see where else you can get these nutrients and you’ll find that many vegetables will give you what you need. But be sure to get organic, non-GMO veggies. The other frankenfoods that are being produced will just make you sick in the long run. Another important thing to mention is that after I stopped eating fruit and all other sugars, I a) no longer get between-meal cravings, 2) I no longer have the mid-afternoon ‘crash’. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/37 "2013-07-18T18:03:39Z")
> [@DanaS](#): > > But be sure to get organic, non-GMO veggies. The other frankenfoods that are being produced will just make you sick in the long run. Bzzt! Pseudoscience bullshit in GQ. Objection! ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/38 "2013-07-18T18:08:35Z")
I think fruits were useful in primitive man and animals for packing on weight prior to winter. They also contain a lot of vitamin c which we need. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/39 "2013-07-18T22:58:34Z")
I think most people would be surprised if they looked up nutritional info for most fruits. They do have some nutrients, but such a tiny amount per piece of fruit… apples, for instance, are most notable in that one contains about 10% of your DV of vitamin C. I like a nice crunchy apple, but it’s not going to keep the Dr. away. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495/40 "2013-07-18T23:20:56Z")
> [@LynnM](#): > > GreenElf: > “Fruit is nature’s sweet snack, **and should be eaten only a couple times a week**.” > > Got a cite for that? I think it comes from the same place that says you need 8 glasses of water a day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ok-to-avoid-fruit-as-long-as-you-eat-vegetables/613495.md?page=3)