It's not unusual for me to come home from the groceries store with a huge load of fruit like this (actually banana wise this is a small load).
Since becoming vegetarian 3 months ago I've developed a slight irrational fear of running out of fruit. That's because we eat so much of it! To my amusement I always get comments from the cashier about my 10-15 bunches of bananas. Last week the lady said lightheartedly "so you have all the monkeys fed now?" The week before that a different lady curiously asked "what do you do with all the fruit?" Well, we eat it! I freeze most of the bananas once they are ripe and use them for smoothies but whether they are fresh or frozen we eat several bananas a day in this house.
Fruit gets a pretty bad reputation and I think most people are scared to eat too much of it because of the sugar. I've read several articles about how overconsumption of any sugar (including fruit) is detrimental to health and prevention of disease. However the more I've researched a plant based lifestyle, I've seen the opposite to be true as long as the sugar is whole raw fruit. Based on everything I've read it is clear that sugar in a whole piece of fruit is not the same as other sugars and it is different because of the the way the body processes it. Refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, white table sugar, or basically anything that is not in the form of whole fruit, is rapidly digested, which spikes blood sugar levels giving the body a quick surge of energy. If that energy is not used right away, the body stores it (potentially as fat). Once that burst of energy is gone you are also left feeling unsatisfied because there was no fiber to slow down the digestion process and sustain the energy. On the other hand, raw whole fruit contains vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and FIBER which slows the digestion process down. Fruit is also rich in carbohydrates made up of glucose, whose digestion depends on having the plant cell wall intact. In other words it does not digest the same as refined sugars nor are its nutrients absorbed by the body in the same way and the body actually uses real fruit efficiently, even for diabetics! Here is an excellent article that covers more about this topic by one of my new favorite health experts Dr McDougall.
Back in June 2013 I did a post all about sugar and how bad it was. I still agree that too much refined sugar is bad but I don't think sugar is the enemy anymore. Sugar/carbs only become the enemy when combined with FAT. Separately carbs and fat do ok, hence why opposite diets like Atkins (high fat low carb) and plant based (highcarb low fat) both still achieve weight loss results. However weight loss is not the perfect indicator of health, and I think the plant based diet higher in nutrients (among other reasons) is the better choice long term. Additionally I've seen a huge amount of research about how much more satisfying a high carb diet is. The human body runs on glucose and the more carbs (aka glucose) you give to your cells, the less cravings you have and the more satisfied you feel. Moral of the story... whole unprocessed foods are best, fruit is your friend, and carbs from plants make me happy! Eating plant based is really easier than you think and I can't wait to share some of the best recipes I have found so far!
Fruit gets a pretty bad reputation and I think most people are scared to eat too much of it because of the sugar. I've read several articles about how overconsumption of any sugar (including fruit) is detrimental to health and prevention of disease. However the more I've researched a plant based lifestyle, I've seen the opposite to be true as long as the sugar is whole raw fruit. Based on everything I've read it is clear that sugar in a whole piece of fruit is not the same as other sugars and it is different because of the the way the body processes it. Refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, white table sugar, or basically anything that is not in the form of whole fruit, is rapidly digested, which spikes blood sugar levels giving the body a quick surge of energy. If that energy is not used right away, the body stores it (potentially as fat). Once that burst of energy is gone you are also left feeling unsatisfied because there was no fiber to slow down the digestion process and sustain the energy. On the other hand, raw whole fruit contains vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and FIBER which slows the digestion process down. Fruit is also rich in carbohydrates made up of glucose, whose digestion depends on having the plant cell wall intact. In other words it does not digest the same as refined sugars nor are its nutrients absorbed by the body in the same way and the body actually uses real fruit efficiently, even for diabetics! Here is an excellent article that covers more about this topic by one of my new favorite health experts Dr McDougall.
Back in June 2013 I did a post all about sugar and how bad it was. I still agree that too much refined sugar is bad but I don't think sugar is the enemy anymore. Sugar/carbs only become the enemy when combined with FAT. Separately carbs and fat do ok, hence why opposite diets like Atkins (high fat low carb) and plant based (highcarb low fat) both still achieve weight loss results. However weight loss is not the perfect indicator of health, and I think the plant based diet higher in nutrients (among other reasons) is the better choice long term. Additionally I've seen a huge amount of research about how much more satisfying a high carb diet is. The human body runs on glucose and the more carbs (aka glucose) you give to your cells, the less cravings you have and the more satisfied you feel. Moral of the story... whole unprocessed foods are best, fruit is your friend, and carbs from plants make me happy! Eating plant based is really easier than you think and I can't wait to share some of the best recipes I have found so far!
I'm with you Kim, fruits are not just sugar or dieters enemy. When we do the fruit and veggie cleanse it takes a few days but then you have a more efficient digestive system and you feel calmer and happy from the sustained energy instead of the spikes. Thanks for sharing !
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