fruit.

I believe fruit is the most complete food you can eat.

It seems logical to me to say that it is also the one we are designed to eat. Take a woman in the wild (let’s say, me). There is no human activity, no supermarket, no restaurant, no fields. That woman has been walking for quite some time and is hungry (I get hungry often). There is an apple tree, she sees the apples. What does she do?

(In her mind: apple - hungry - food - apple)

She is a quite limited person, but she assimilates the apple to food. She eats the apple.

Okay, let’s stop trying to be funny.

I have no trouble believing that humans are meant to eat fruit. Our physiology is a lot alike primates, and many scientists believe that they are actually our ancestors. So take the time to look at your teeth, the way your jaw can move, the length of your intestine and many other biological functions that are very similar if not identical to primates.

This post would get way too long if I cited all the similarities humans have with frugivores. I found and read two interesting articles that cite their sources and I will let you go have a look.

I am not saying by this that we should all be frugivore, that would get boring very soon.

But I think we can all agree on the fact that fruit is very good for you.

Through my readings, I have found out many interesting facts about fruit, and how they can actually be not so good for you, so here is all the information I have to try to eat fruit in the right way and at the right time.

How should I eat fruit?

Alone.

The digestion of fruit is very fast, and all fruit, except for bananas, will stay in your stomach for an average of 30 minutes only. Bananas take longer, up to 1 hour.

This is the main reason why having fruit for dessert has no positive effects, and can even have negative effects. Your meals, in general, will take way longer than one hour to leave your stomach, and the fruit, stuck on top of all that food, will ferment. By fermenting, it will lose its vitamins, create gas and its positive effects will be canceled.

To preserve a maximum of vitamins from the fruit, it is preferable to have it raw.

I found this video on YouTube about fruit (in french) that simply explains that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUus5AKv8dc

A video in english: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwOYC1Hgjb8&index=9&t=0s&list=WL

When should I eat fruit?

The best way to eat fruit is alone, having a complete fruit-made meal/snack (don’t be shy, eat more) or 30 minutes before your meal. By doing this, you will allow your body to take advantage of all the awesome properties of fruit.

Is fruit going to make me fat?

No.

I never got why people would hate sugars so much, and love protein. In out society, people are obsessed with protein. Even more so in North America than in Europe, as I noticed. You can get extra protein here, you see protein content there.

Well, in truth, protein is important, yes, but you cannot have a protein deficiency if you eat enough, as it is said in the movie ‘Forks over Knives”, arguing the health benefits of a mostly plant-based diet.

“We have never treated a single patient with protein deficiency; yet the majority of the patients we see are suffering from heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses directly resulting from trying to get enough protein”

Dr alona Pulde & Dr Matthew Lederman

It is a simple as that.

And, therefore, peanut butter is delicious, but should be considered as a fat source and not really a protein source.

Then, people say that fruit makes you fat, because it is basically sugar and water.

First, sugars are your body’s first energy source. Then, the real problem is not sugar itself, but added sugar, which makes a big difference. You should be aware of the effects of high-fructose syrups (like corn syrup, more used in north America than anywhere else). Then, fruit has water and minerals, which slow down the assimilation of sugars, and you get so much more from fruit than you do from soda, believe me. And last thing, an entire banana has the same calorie content as ONE tablespoon of peanut butter (believe me, I love it, but I have known so many people telling me bababas would make me fat while eating their peanut butter sandwiches "for the protein"...)

A video explaining with many sources (in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou7xDmlwM

And here, another video in English with plenty of sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOMHHSxcpF0

What are the main positive effects of fruit?

Fruit is food, and food is energy. The first benefit of it is that it gives you available energy (fast sugars). Fruit is also packed with vitamins and minerals, which are essential to a good health. Fruit helps you avoid most deficiencies.

Last but not least, fruit can contain up to 97% water and be a good way to stay hydrated. It is the perfect food for summer when the temperatures are high and you lose a lot of water and minerals.