"But if you're considering going on a crash diet eating only fruit, be aware that too much fruit acid and lack of fat may well bring about metabolism disorder and organ operation inefficiency," said Wei.

Although healthy and beneficial, fruits still have their dangers. Pregnant women are advised against eating haws that have a strong effect on uterine contraction, which could lead to miscarriage, said Li Jinlong, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Zhejiang Province.

Wei also suggests that diabetics avoid high GI Value fruits, such as watermelons, lichees and Chinese dates, which might cause a rapid and dramatic rise in blood sugar value.

Other nutritionists warn that peeling is necessary before eating raw fruits to avoid pesticide residues. If one wants to keep the skin, soaking the fruit in salt water for half an hour is a useful tip. Rinsing the mouth after eating fruits is also important, because sugar may cause tooth decay. They also say the best time to eat fruits is one hour before meals or two hours after meals.

Common Health Fruit Recipes

Stewed Pear Soup With Crystal Sugar

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

1 teaspoon of crystal sugar

1 piece of pear

Procedure:

1. A clean pear, peel, cut into very small pieces

2. Add 3 cups of water in a cooker, add crystal sugar

3. Bring to a boil over high heat, continue to cook 40 minutes over medium-low heat, serve

Serving Method: Drink soup and eat the stuff

Flavor: Sweet and sour

Description: In traditional Chinese medicine, pear has the action of regenerating body fluids, quenching thirst, calming the heart, relieving restlessness, promoting urination and relieving cough. Crystal sugar is used to soothe stomach and lubricates lungs. This recipe can remove heat from lungs, clear phlegm and arrest cough.

Red Date Tea With Gouqi

Ingredients:

3 cups of cold water

Dried red date (8 pieces)

Dried gouqi berries (10 g)

Procedure:

1. Cut the red dates into thin slices, take out pips

2. Put 3 cups of water into water heater

3. Add all the ingredients into water

4. Bring to a boil over high heat, continue to cook 5 minutes over medium-low heat, serve

Serving Method: Drink as tea

Flavor: A pleasant, mildly flavored fruit tea with slightly salty (gouqi berries are a bit salty) overtones as well as the expected sweet flavor of fruits

Description: Gouqi contains a complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. Red date is widely believed beneficial to women's health in treating anemia and invigorating vital energy. It is also widely used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of insomnia and anxiety.