Hey everyone, I felt compelled to write an article about the importance of getting enough fruit...
Every cell in the human body runs on glucose, so its no suprise that we become 'emotional' when we don't have a steady supply of quality sugars to the bodymind. An expression of this unbalanced state can manifest in many emotional forms -such as anger, irritability, lethargy, lack of focus, impatience, depression, suicidal tendencies, cravings for undesirables, intolerance, self-loathing.....these all being precursors to more serious 'disorders'.
From years of self-assesment along with avid 'people-watching' I believe a very high number of emotional challenges faced by most people are just a fruit-sugar deficiency, with dehydration & sleep deprivation coming in close behind.
Often times it can be hard for an individual to recognise exactly when they are actually in this low carbohydrate state. Regularly attributing how they feel to some supposed pyschological disorder or having a bout of bad karma? & as a result it can be challenging to give our bodymind exactly what it needs at the most important time... this is where increasing one's knowledge on how fruit sugar works in the body is vital.
What we ate leading up to this 'challenging time' also has a profound impact on how we handle ourselves. Even if we eat enough carbs in that moment, many people are running at a carbohydrate deficit & it requires a conscious fruit-eating effort over the next few days, weeks or possibly years to bring glycogen levels back to harmony.
Various ways we can become unbalanced & low in fruit sugars...
* Miscombining foods leading to malabsorption
* Eating a high fat raw diet obstructing sugar uptake
* Low quality conventional produce that is 'undersugared'
* Underripe produce which can cause stomach upset & is also 'undersugared'
* Dehydration - not enough water in the stomach to process fruit optimally
* Eating too fast, eating when stressed affects digestion
* Sleep - not having enough nerve energy to facilitate optimal digestion
* Calorie debt - previous undereating habits playing catch up, leaving one constantly needing more sugar even when they feel like they are about to burst from volume
* Compromised absorption from previous meals or lifestyle
* Animal fats can block sugar uptake both raw & cooked
* Dairy products, both raw & cooked contain proteins disrupt our sugar metabolic system
* Increased fitness levels make for more efficient sugar uptake
* Menstruation increases sugar needs
There are many more.
Ofcourse we are multi-faceted beings & yes there are genuine cases of emotional challenges that are not carb-related & this is where the importance of getting enough water & sleep come into it. If we desire a balanced bodymind then we need to get the WSS (water,sugar,sleep) equation right. I will discuss water & sleep in another article.
There is plenty of personal opinions out there suggesting that we eat for emotional reasons or to 'numb' ourselves....this conclusion was likely formed due to the fact that we generally feel better & calmer once we have eaten - is this numbing or just plain physiological satiation?? Does a monkey ponder before he downs a banana.. 'Oh hang on...Am I numbing myself by eating this banana'? Ofcourse not.
Wouldn't it make sense to address our key physiological requirements first before we head for the shrinks chair? go for a crystal healing? or load up on copious amounts of tryptophan? Yes these healing modalities may be of use for the individual at some stage on their journey but often times prove unnecessary once we have addressed the foundation of our being & built it strong by eating enough fruit carbs.....afterall sanity could just be a bunch of bananas away...
P.S- Make sure you are well hydrated before grabbing those bananas!
Eat up!
Lovefreelea
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Ok need help on this one. I am a very active person walk 8 to 10 miles a day and sweat for 90 minutes in a hot room doing yoga, I love the exercise and feeling I get from the practice. I love eating fruit but I have found that eating a lot of bananas doesn't agree with me. I get stomach pains and they just don't agree with me. So I have gone just eating a whole bunch of sugary fruit like melons, cherries and mangos but I was getting mad skinny and my teeth were rotting out of my head and was getting to be an emotional mess. So to combat this I incorporated more salads and raw vegan meals, some with too many oils and crap. My dilemma is this: How do I maintain a high carb raw vegan lifestyle to support my activity level without eating the nanas and the high fat vegan meals. Is salads ok from time to time? Also how do I know I'm getting all the proper levels of vitamins and minerals to support my body in a healthy way? I'm kind of stumped and I'm tired of bouncing around from a skinny emotional mess, to an overeating raw vegan meal man that really doesn't help me in the long run. Would Durians be good to eat to replace the nanas? As you can see I need guidance, thanks.
After a bout of severe dehydration, I now keep water on the night table at all times. I get up in the middle of the night to drink it sometimes & try to down a 1/2 liter at least before I start the day. First food in the morning is dates and bananas. I immediately feel energized, mentally clear and happy. I'm able to work out hard, for a longer time, thus I sleep more! Went to bed 7:30p & today had to be up at 3am. Trained 2 hours yesterday & I'm not tired at all! Sugar from the fruit fueled the muscles, no bonking, no fatigue. I've lost weight and gained muscle. Best part is I'm in a super great mood :D Thank you so much Freelea (and Harley) I'm back to cycling, my fave sport, that I couldn't do the past 8 yrs due to wrong diet & old injuries. Pain is gone, asthma gone. Amazing.
Was wondering if I could pick your brain for a second- I am not new to raw, but am new to HCLF and wanting to increase my exercise. When you say that 'Sugar from the fruit fueled the muscles', I totally agree. My question is when do you eat the fruit as opposed to working out? Like I said, I am new to this and need specifics :) I mean, do you eat a bunch of fruit, wait an hour and go for a cycle? My problem is wanting to exercise in the morning, but waking up hungry, drinking a bunch of water, but not feeling energized enough to work out. I usually have a green smoothie for breakfast- maybe I should be eating fruit and then working out? Like I said, if you have a second and can break it down for me, I would be so grateful as this has had me confused since I started HCLF ( and lost eight pounds in a month!! ;)
Oh, for sure. Whenever I feel like I'm about to become a bit testy, I eat some ripe fruit. I'm a lot easier to deal with satiated than I am glucose-deprived. ;-)
-yep me too Kristina, its so powerful to make that connection
melonhead > Frugivore FreeleeFebruary 16, 2012 at 8:29pm
That was huge for me- going from raw to HCLF raw and going on faith that you knew what you were talking about and lo and behold- success!! I find that things have progressed exactly like you said they would- when I feel kind of spacy or not quite right, I reach for ripe fruit, eat a bunch and feel so much better!! I love this site!!
Replies
Ok need help on this one. I am a very active person walk 8 to 10 miles a day and sweat for 90 minutes in a hot room doing yoga, I love the exercise and feeling I get from the practice. I love eating fruit but I have found that eating a lot of bananas doesn't agree with me. I get stomach pains and they just don't agree with me. So I have gone just eating a whole bunch of sugary fruit like melons, cherries and mangos but I was getting mad skinny and my teeth were rotting out of my head and was getting to be an emotional mess. So to combat this I incorporated more salads and raw vegan meals, some with too many oils and crap. My dilemma is this: How do I maintain a high carb raw vegan lifestyle to support my activity level without eating the nanas and the high fat vegan meals. Is salads ok from time to time? Also how do I know I'm getting all the proper levels of vitamins and minerals to support my body in a healthy way? I'm kind of stumped and I'm tired of bouncing around from a skinny emotional mess, to an overeating raw vegan meal man that really doesn't help me in the long run. Would Durians be good to eat to replace the nanas? As you can see I need guidance, thanks.
After a bout of severe dehydration, I now keep water on the night table at all times. I get up in the middle of the night to drink it sometimes & try to down a 1/2 liter at least before I start the day. First food in the morning is dates and bananas. I immediately feel energized, mentally clear and happy. I'm able to work out hard, for a longer time, thus I sleep more! Went to bed 7:30p & today had to be up at 3am. Trained 2 hours yesterday & I'm not tired at all! Sugar from the fruit fueled the muscles, no bonking, no fatigue. I've lost weight and gained muscle. Best part is I'm in a super great mood :D Thank you so much Freelea (and Harley) I'm back to cycling, my fave sport, that I couldn't do the past 8 yrs due to wrong diet & old injuries. Pain is gone, asthma gone. Amazing.
Was wondering if I could pick your brain for a second- I am not new to raw, but am new to HCLF and wanting to increase my exercise. When you say that 'Sugar from the fruit fueled the muscles', I totally agree. My question is when do you eat the fruit as opposed to working out? Like I said, I am new to this and need specifics :) I mean, do you eat a bunch of fruit, wait an hour and go for a cycle? My problem is wanting to exercise in the morning, but waking up hungry, drinking a bunch of water, but not feeling energized enough to work out. I usually have a green smoothie for breakfast- maybe I should be eating fruit and then working out? Like I said, if you have a second and can break it down for me, I would be so grateful as this has had me confused since I started HCLF ( and lost eight pounds in a month!! ;)
Great to hear Trysta :-) Yes hydration is so so important. I just don't feel right if I'm not peeing clear (or almost) several times a day.
Thanks for your update, good work.
That was huge for me- going from raw to HCLF raw and going on faith that you knew what you were talking about and lo and behold- success!! I find that things have progressed exactly like you said they would- when I feel kind of spacy or not quite right, I reach for ripe fruit, eat a bunch and feel so much better!! I love this site!!
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