Sweet Fruit: The Other Carbohydrate

Even with the lingering popularity of low carbohydrate diets like South Beach and Atkins, there are still plenty of people out there who recognize the value of consuming a diet high in carbs.

Generally, these individuals (e.g. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Colin Campbell, etc.) recommend a plant-based diet predominated by vegetable matter and grains.  While a high carbohydrate diet is definitely the way to go for health, there are several problems associated with making either of these food groups dietary staples.

As I discussed in my article on grains and again here, all grains (even if gluten-free) hold no place in an optimal diet.  And as far as vegetable matter goes, it is simply too low in calories to sustain an active adult human being…

Unless you like eating 35+ heads of lettuce each and every day, of course.

Is There an Alternative?

Yes, there is.  It’s an often overlooked food group and one most people never even consider for forming the basis of a carbohydrate-rich diet.

The answer is sweet fruit, of course!

Ripe, raw, sweet fruit is water and fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, and has the perfect calorie-per-bite ratio, making it possible (and down-right enjoyable) for you to meet your caloric intake on a daily basis.

Plus, the human body must breakdown everything we eat into simple sugars (e.g. glucose) during digestion.  Since sweet fruit is primarily made up of simple sugars fructose and glucose, the body has to do less work to digest it compared to complex carbohydrates such as rice, wheat, and potatoes.

Why is Fruit Overlooked?

There are several reasons why most high carb, low fat promoters do not advocate a fruit-predominated diet.  One is that the consumption of “too much” simple sugar is seen as dangerous.  It leads to high blood sugar, which leads to weight gain, candida overgrowth, diabetes, etc.

The truth of the matter is that a high amount of fat in conjunction with a high sugar diet is to blame for these sugar metabolic disorders.  Lower the fat intake and the amount of sugar is no longer an issue.

Related to that issue is the glycemic index, which measures how quickly the sugars in foods enter into the bloodstream.  Most fruits rank high according to the glycemic index, so many believe that their consumption should be moderated.

As I discuss here, fruit is actually a low to medium glycemic food when the glycemic load is taken into account.  In fact, it is the complex carbohydrates like rice that show high rankings on the glycemic load scale.

But really I think the main reason is that eating mountains of fruit doesn’t fit into what we know (or think we know) about nutrition and everyday eating.  Fruit is viewed as a snack or maybe a healthy dessert, not a full meal.

It just doesn’t seem plausible to actually eat 10 bananas or an entire pineapple in one sitting.

What To Do?

It’s easy, just start eating more fruit!  Start your day with a big breakfast of fruit, as much as you care to eat.

Yep, it’s really that simple.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. For more on an easy transition to raw foods, be sure to check out my free 5-week mini-course The Fool Proof Transition to Raw.

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