Fruits
 

Just started this site today and I love it. Anyways, I am getting the impression that a lot of people don't want a lot of fruits because of the sugar. Why is this? I am trying to have a balanced diet, focusing on fats, veggies and lots, proteins and very little grains. I didn't say carbs just grains. I don't want to give up fruits because of "bad" sugar which I think is not true that it's bad. It is natural sugar and fruits have fiber. Read a lot of Jonny Bowden's 150 healthiest foods book, which inspired me to turn away from lot of grains. But, he also said any fruit was good and so was any vegetable. What do you guys think? And how do I eat an avocado, just cut it in half and spoon it out? :p

That's exactly what I do with them, they should give under pressure from your thumb when ripe, but not be totally mushy. You can take one side, make cube slices with a butter knife, then scoop it out for nice size chunks on a salad. They're high in calories but very healthy. Mashed up or sliced, avocado is an excellent substitute for mayo on a sandwich.

I don't worry about sugars that don't come from processed foods. If you're diabetic you might have to watch the natural sugars. The glycemic index factors in the sugar and fiber in a food, so while fruits are high in sugar, the fiber makes them low on the glycemic index. What this means in very simple terms is the fiber slows down the rate at which the fruit is digested, so the sugars are released slowly compared to refined sugars that lack fiber and are therefore digested very quickly.

I am also of the belief that fruit is good for you and the fiber helps slow the metabolism of the sugars they contain. While the Colorado peaches were in season I was eating 1 or 2 daily.

As for avocados, slice in half, remove the seed, scoop out the halfs and slice them into strips length wise. I like them plain with just a dash of salt.

I eat fruit, 3 servings/day, fresh, frozen or dried without added sugar or swimming in syrup. I also eat grains, but only whole grains and I limit my intake to 1-2 servings/per day. I basically think that the closer the food is to the way it was the second it was picked the healthier it is to consume. I'm not following any sort of rules about it like Primal, Caveman/woman or the Raw diet, but for me and my family the less processed - the better. We grow a huge garden, it's not our only source for food, but with a few more gardening skills and some additional storage capacity, it could be.