Need Help... Fruit?

[Scott Peterson]

I am confused by the roll of fruit in the Whole30 program, and specifically the natural sugars that are present in fruit. I get the psychological concerns of eating fruit, but is there a biological issue with the sugar in fruit? Page 158 shows the preferred fruits, but there is little about quantity except to focus on veggies rather than fruit. So I take that to mean take it easy on the fruit.

My wife would like to eat fruit everyday... fruit from the preferred list.

I on the other hand am not real fond of fruit other than grapes and bananas. I love soft serve banana ice cream. (The type made with one banana and a food processor.) I may go several days without fruit and then have some banana soft serve at night. I also may have grapes every once in awhile.

Is this a problem?

[Fenderbender]

Grapes are no problem

Recreating a dessert with banana could be.... The psychological effects of food and their meaning to you are one of the most important things w30 is trying to help us overcome.... So eating a few banana slices on a salad, would be just a part of a meal to your brain...a condiment on a salad...take the same amount of frozen purée of banana soft serve and your brain says "dessert"... Guess what, you will always crave dessert and in my case I would go strait for hagan daz on day 31.

Everyone has different goals but mine was to change my relationship with food and never be a slave to it or cravings again...

Fruit is fine but it still contains a good amount of sugar,especially compared to veggies which have far more micro nutrients .... If anyone battles with sugar dragons, it's best to avoid a lot of fruit so you won't get sugar cravings of any type

Fruit should be eaten as part of a meal as long as it is not at the expense of eating enough vegetables..... You will see a lot of posts here about being disappointed after 30 days with no results and by in large, most have really over indulged on fruits, nuts, and nut butters. W30 is about getting healthy, but calories are still calories.... It is extremely hard to overeat if you stick to the meal templates.

[Tom Denham]

What Fenderbender said about fruit and dessert, etc.

Fruit is convenient, easy, and tasty raw, so many people eat lots of fruit and fail to eat lots of veggies. The fruit crowds the veggies out of the diet. That is a problem because veggies beat fruit by a country mile when it comes to nutrition. If you want to really nourish your body, you have to eat lots of veggies, not lots of fruit. Fruit is poor in the realm of nutrition in comparison to veggies. So, a good policy is to eat only a little fruit. Maybe one serving per day. And learn to cook a variety of veggies and enjoy them.

Side note: I am convinced that most people who say they don't like veggies have never tasted well cooked veggies.

[Lisa Doorenbos]

Thanks everyone for the question and the response...I was just getting ready to ask the same question...I am only on Day 4 but I think I have been doing that...replacing my old "sugar habit" with fruit...I vow to use fruit only in my meals...after an abundance of veggies...so would a good mid afternoon "snack" if needed (my lunch break is at 12 or 12:30 and often I work late so supper is not until close to 7 so I need a boost around 4:30-5) be something like some carrots and a handful of nuts?

THanks

Lisa

[Fenderbender]

Hormonally speaking you are always best off eating a " mini meal". Say 1/2 portion protein, veg, fat.... I find when I'm in a situation like yours i will pack a single Tupperware of chicken salad with chopped veggy and avocado and eat it on the way home...at my desk..etc

For me munching on veg and nuts is to much like going for a bag of pretzels or chips and I would find it to easy to revert back after a while....

[Lisa Doorenbos]

Oh that TOTALLY makes sense....I'm learning so much....this is very new for me...but as a pharmacist the hormonal side of it makes SO MUCH SENSE!!! It's good to find a diet that talks to the scientist in me!!