Discussion Board

Hi Jeff,

I was wondering what your opinion is on fruit. Do you think it should be limited? If so, how much per day do you think is okay.

I was a McDougaller for over 9 years and then I started down the raw path. Bad mistake. Yes, I felt better in many aspects but McDougalling was much easier for me and for my faimily.

I now eat 80/10/10 style so I am eating mostly fruit and greens and vegetables.

I have been trying to get back to McDougalling for awhile now and it has been a hard transition because the cooked foods make me feel so badly.

I am kind of concerned, though, by the amount of fruit that I do eat while I am transitioning and wondering what you think is a good and/or bad amount to be eating.

Thanks!

I would also love some feedback on this. I follow a 99% raw diet (100% vegan) and about 80% of my calories come from raw fruit. I absolutely love fruit, but often wonder if there is anything unhealthy about getting the majority of my calories/nutrients this way. Thanks so much for any feedback Jeff!

Hi Jaime

You asked, "if there is something unhealthy about getting the majority of your nutrients this way"

My question to you is, how do you know you are getting in all your nutrients?

I would recommend plugging your daily intake into a nutritional analysis software (such as fitday or the CRON-O-Meter ) and seeing how well you are doing. If you are getting in the necessary nutrients, than more power to you, however, personally, I would not recommend someone follow a diet where 80% of their calories comes from fruit as it would be difficult, to ensure adequate intake of all your nutrients.

In Health
Jeff

Thanks Jeff.

So, what kind of limit do you think is best as far as fruit goes? I know McDougall limits fruit to 2 per day. Do you think this is best?

Thanks

Actually the recommendation of 2 fruits per day is only for the Maximum Weight loss plan. He also recommends restrictions for people with triglyceride problems. But otherwise, he does not restrict fruit except that he does recommend a varied starch-centered diet that would preclude getting most of your calories from fruit.

There is no one simple answer again as it would depend on the individual, their health/medical issues and their individual preferences, allergies, etc etc.

There are many situations would I have had to severely limit or eliminate fruit consumption for some time and other situations where the intake is much higher than I would recommend for most. Fruit is know, and has been shown to elevate insulin, blood sugar and triglycerides in those who are sensitive

However, in general I would be comfortable saying 2-6 servings a day as part of a healthy diet/lifestyle without knowing any more specifics.

In Health
Jeff

Thanks Jeff for giving me an answer.

So, besides blood tests, are there any symptoms to watch for that might show that you have elevated insulin, blood sugar and triglycerides?

No, just routine blood tests (except for insulin, which you have to request). Just watch these the next time you have a blood test done.

In Health
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the great information.

I was told that the issues with fructose are coming from high fructose corn syrup (mostly from soft drinks) and table sugar, not fruit:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 221283.pdf

I was also told that some studies show that fruit helps the liver:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20884464

How does this fit into your recommendations on limiting fruit consumption?
Thanks!

I have worked in an inpatient clinical setting for 10 yrs with over 20K patients and have seen the impact.

The issue is not just with HFCS but with insulin resistance and fruit can still be an issue. In my experience, it was an issue for about 25% of those with IR till they reversed their IR

The above recommendations stand!



In Health
Jeff

That study is specifically on prunes, as they have specific qualities to aid the liver. That is quite different than eating 10 bananas for breakfast or a half of a watermelon

Hi Jeff,
This is very interesting. Have you seen any studies that confirm what you are observing in 25% of people w/ IR?

From what I've been told - all that is coming out in the scientific literature are studies showing phytonutrients in fruits may actually improve insulin sensitivity.

E.g. see this study on blueberries
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 001764.pdf

It should be noted that the study you provided is for freeze-dried blueberry powder, which is basically just a supplement.

There's also a huge difference between eating lots of berries and lots of bananas, for example. The sugar load from bananas may not be handled well by many people. I know when I was eating a raw food diet, I would get dizzy and start shaking after eating a large banana meal - not normal, but common with high-fruit diets. I am not diabetic, but the sugar load was just too much.

First, science is not decided by individual studies, especially those done on powdered forms of these foods, but by the validation and repetition of principles over time. It is from these isolated studies on isolated food parts that we get the craziness around products like Juice Plus.

Second, I think you are missing the point and mixing up different issues.

My original response, as I said, still stands.



So, if you are not sensitive or experiencing the issue, this does not apply to you.

For those who are sensitive and experiencing the issue....

There is a double-edged sword with fruit and IR.

IR Is not caused by fruit consumption, nor have I said that. So I am also not saying that removing fruit is a cure for the IR. I have said that fruit can elevate the numbers but let us all remember, numbers are only markers and not the disease process itself.

IR is caused by excess body weight, excess body fat, excess dietary fat, refined and processed sugars/carbs, inactivity, etc etc.

So, being active, consuming a lower fat and lower calorie dense whole foods diet is part of the solution. And fruit, happens to fit most of that bill. It is lower in fat and very low in calorie density.

However, while we can change the diet in someone immediately, we can not reverse the IR immediately and for some there is a transition period while the IR reverses. In some folks it is almost immediate and in some may takes days, weeks or even a few months.

As I did say, in my experience in working with 1000's of these patients over the years, about 25% of them are very sensitive to fruit and processed carbs, even whole grain flour products and their "numbers" look better when they remove these foods or restrict them "until" the IR is reversed or mostly reversed. In these people, we see elevated TGs, insulin and blood sugars during this time and when we remove the fruit or other foods, these numbers go down.

Once they reverse their IR, they are able to enjoy a more liberal intake of these foods that may have been limited.

However, freeze-dried blueberry powder, is never the answer.

In Health
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Your answer totally makes sense to me. Thanks. If this is the case - how do you come to your recommendation of 2 - 6 servings of fruit per day?

If a person is healthy and not overweight why can't they eat more fruit than starch for energy? What's wrong with a healthy person having 8 servings of fruit per day? Is there damage that could be happening?