Here are some common questions asked by those new to Fruit Til Five:

1. Can I mix non-sweet fruit and/or vegetables with my sweet fruit?

Yes, if you’d like to add spinach or sprouts to your fruit smoothie or snack on broccoli florets before 5pm, please do. Just remember, no fat (avocado, oil, etc.) before 5pm. As soon as you eat any fat, your sweet fruit for the day is over. Sweet fruit and fat do not mix, however, sweet fruit and veggies or non-sweet fruit do mix. Remember, vegetables and non-sweet fruit do not offer much natural sugar fuel for your cells to help you get through your day so your day food you’ll want to be mostly sweet fruit.

Non-sweet, non-fat fruits are cucumbers, eggplant, okra, bell peppers, squashes (yellow, zucchini, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, pumpkin, and many others), tomatoes, and peas. Avocado is a non-sweet, fatty fruit which is not be to mixed with sweet fruit.

Sprouts are beans or seeds that have sprouted to become green vegetables.

2. What is the ideal dinner to eat while on Fruit Til Five™?

A green dinner full of whole raw and/or steamed vegetables and non-sweet fruit with a bit of whole plant fat, like avocado, is ideal. Green plant food is full of clean plant protein and highly alkalizing minerals like sodium, calcium, and magnesium. My favorite go-to dinner is my Hip Pea Power Bowl. Large green salads are great too!

3. What’s the difference between a smoothie and a juice and which option is better for drinking fruit?

Smoothies made in a high-speed blender keep all parts of the fruit or vegetable. Juices made with a juicer separate the water and nutrients from the fiber. Smoothies tend to be thick, while juices tend to be thinner in consistency.

Blending smoothies is best for fruit because the kept fiber helps titrate the absorption of fruit sugar. Green vegetables like spinach or kale can be blended with fruit. Avoid adding any milk (animal or plant), yogurt/kefir (animal or plant), oil (coconut, flax. etc.), avocado, nuts, seeds, or protein powders to any fruit smoothies. Fat and sweet fruit must be kept separate to succeed on a high-fruit diet.

Fruit exceptions than can be juiced with vegetables are cucumbers, bell peppers, green Granny Smith apples, lemons, and limes. Do not juice any other varieties of apples.

4. Can I eat nuts?

Yes, ideally whole, raw nuts after 5pm.

5. Do I have to stop drinking coffee while on FT5?

No. However consuming coffee on a regular basis is not ideal for optimal health. If you do choose to continue drinking coffee while on FT5, please omit adding any fat (cream, coconut oil) which can interfere with properly digesting sweet fruit.

Learn More: The Blog Post That Starbucks Doesn’t Want You to Read

6. Do I have to have a food processor to make frozen fruit ice cream?

No, it can be done in a VitaMix with tamper or a Blendtec high-speed blender. You can use a regular kitchen blender too however you might have to add a little liquid (water or coconut water) to get the frozen fruit to blend which changes the resulting consistency.

Fruit Til Five™ participants have tried making frozen fruit ice cream in a Ninja blender, a Yonana machine, and NutriBullet. While they could get them to work well enough, the consistency from a food processor was definitely preferred.

You can use fresh ripe bananas and blend them with water and then freeze the mixture for another option, though everyone seems to agree that making frozen fruit ice cream in a food processor with fruit already frozen results in the most desirable consistency.

7. What are some common symptoms of detox that I may feel during the first 3 days of FT5?

Hunger, dizziness, headache (especially if coffee or sodas have been eliminated), nausea, bloating, fatigue, gas, weight loss, sinus congestion, flu-like symptoms, skin rash, and/or loose stools. Be patient, stick with FT5, and your body will come around and find a new balance point.

Learn More: How Will You Feel After a Detox?

If you feel that the cleansing or detox symptoms are too intense to continue with your FT5 week, scale back. Start with replacing your breakfast meals with fruit. Aim for FT12. Then add one lunch per week. This gradual approach may take longer, but also can help the detox effect to be more mild.

8. What’s the most common mistake newcomers to FT5 make?

The most common mistake is not eating enough sweet fruit during the day to stay satiated and energized. The second most common mistake is combining fat with sweet fruit.

Learn More: The Problem with Fruit

Learn More: Fruit is NOT Your Sugar Problem

9. Is wine considered fruit?

No.

10. Are dried fruits okay to eat? 

They are not as ideal as fresh fruits because they are missing the bulk of their water which helps titrate the absorption of sugar, however sometimes dried dates, prunes, or other fruits are the perfect on-the-go quick and easy snack. Dried fruit sugar can stick to teeth, so be sure to rinse or brush well afterwards.

11. What do cravings mean?

If you’re craving something sweet, your body wants glycogen. Eat fruit.

If you’re craving something salty, your body wants minerals. Eat vegetables.

12. Is it okay to eat melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.) with other fruits and vegetables?

The adage for melon is: eat it alone or leave it alone. Melon sugar digests so quickly that if anything slows it down, gas or bloating can result.

If eating melon with other fruits or veggies doesn’t bother you, go for it. If you experience gas or bloating, eat it alone.

Learn More: 7 Reasons to Love a Monomeal

13. Do I have to love or even like bananas to succeed with FT5? 

It certainly helps, but no. Many people have enjoyed the benefits of other fruits besides bananas on a high-fruit diet. Note that many banana-haters have been converted by the frozen fruit ice cream recipe, so give it at least one chance.

Make sure you are eating only ripe bananas! This can make all the difference in flavor & digestion.

14. Can I eat grains and legumes while on Fruit Til Five? 

I believe that raw fruits and raw vegetables are superior foods to legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and grains, however cooked starches (grains, legumes, tubers) are a good supplement food to keep carbohydrate intake high and fat intake low. These whole starches are low in fat, high in fiber, and offer complex (slow) carbohydrate fuel. Refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, crackers, etc.) need to be minimized or omitted.

Cooked whole starches can safely be eaten with fruits during the day (ie: farro and peach slices), alone (ie: sweet potato), or with vegetables at night (ie: rice, beans, veggies). The key is not to cook or serve starches with added fats or oils when eating them with fruits. A small amount of whole fat like avocado or nuts can be safely combined with vegetables and grains for an evening meal.

15. Who will probably not succeed on Fruit Til Five™?

Those who can not digest any fruit, those who are allergic to fruits, and those who deny any merit of a high-fruit diet will not thrive using the FT5 method.