fruit and meal plan khg72

Question
Dear Dr.Katie Brind'Amour,
Im male,44 years old.My weight is 58 and 6 kg less than standard weight(height 167.5cm).I m not touching sweet,sugar,oliy things and fatty foods.I generally drink fruit juices of various kind.My daily plan is morning tea .after one hour fruit juice or raw fruit.then after one hour breakfast .My doubt is taking fruit daily leads to any problem.what is the recommended limit for this.I m take any one fruit of pinaple,orangeapple,banana,pomogranut,sapporta etc .Im exercising alternate day a simple aerobic followed by 1 kg tumbles for one  and half hour.recently taken blood test for diabetic,cholostrol,thyroid test not found anything wrong.my iron level is low norml .my FERRITIN is  48.15 ng/ml (reference range is Males : 30 - 400 ng/ml). ZINC : 71.6 Microgm/dl (reference range is 70 - 150 Microgm/dl).How to increase my weight and tell me whether this type of eating fruit daily harmful or reduce weight? do i have to increase ferritin since i developed grey hair in recent years
Reg
Kumar

Answer
Hello Kumar,
It's hard to know exactly what to recommend for you, since I don't know what you've been eating for lunch and dinner. Eating fruit is good for you (especially whole fruit instead of juice). However, eating a ton of fruit can cause certain problems, like diarrhea or high blood sugar. If you are drinking store-bought juice with added sugar, the high amount of fructose or sugar may also cause health problems.

The general guideline for daily fruit intake for a man your size and age is about 2 cups of fruit per day. Because you are pretty physically active, you can probably have even more. Unless you are eating huge amounts of fruit as well as drinking a lot of fruit juice, chances are you do not need to reduce your fruit intake. Finally, because some fruits contain high levels of certain vitamins, alternate your fruits so that you don't have the same thing every single day.

Your lower iron, ferritin, and zinc levels are probably because you don't get enough meat and protein. If you are not a vegetarian, make sure you eat meat, poultry, or fish every day. If you do not eat meat, try getting these nutrients through tofu, nuts, and legumes (beans, lentils, peas). Not having enough iron may make you feel week or tired after a while, so this is especially important if you want to continue exercising.

Ferritin helps your body store iron for later use. The more iron you get in your diet, chances are the more ferritin you will have as well. I have not previously heard of a connection between ferritin and gray hair (sorry!).

With regards to gaining weight, you probably just need to get more calories, some of which need to be from fat (which you don't get from fruit). Adding protein and foods with iron will likely increase the number of calories you consume per day. Lean meats, dairy products, eggs, nuts, and whole grains are great ways to get healthy nutrients and extra calories. The protein will also help you build muscle and add weight. A month or two after you incorporate some of these changes into your diet, consider getting your iron, ferritin, and zinc checked again - they should put you into healthier ranges. If not, ask your doctor about further tests, since it could be a problem with your red blood cells or digestive system.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks!

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