Don't mix fruits?

[Abascas]

i'm contemplating switching to a raw/fruititaria diet, and i have a few questions. first, i went to the fruititarian.com site, and one thing on there didn't make sense to me. it said not to eat different fruits withouth 2 hours between them, what is the point of this? my second, if i did begin to do such a thing, are there any specific things i'd have to watch out for when first begining? silly/stupid questions, but yeah.

[bugaboo]

The two-hour thing must have something to do with getting all possible nutrients from the first fruit and so that you can absorb the most nutrients from the next meal. I don't know for sure, but this is my thinking behind the time issue.
I don't really understand the raw food/fruitarian thing for health but I'm sure the thinking behind it exists for a reason. You are a brave soldier for trying it out. Sounds very difficult to me.

[cedarblue]

from what i can gather, the reason behind this is that fruits take different times to digest so to its best to allow a fair time between eating different fruits so all to allow the optimum time for digestion.
mono eating is where you may just eat one fruit at a time, say bananas for breakfast and then just apples later on for example.

i dont think the fruit combining thing applies with smoothies as the fruit is broken down when making so its ok to combine fruits this way.

if you were contemplating going this way i'd read up on it as much as possible from people who are doing it and then be sensible about whether it is right for you - maybe a high raw diet would be a good thing to work towards first? i don't know how you are eating at the moment. perhaps join some raw or fruitarian forums first to research from other people doing it?

i don't think thats the way for me, i enjoy my veggies too much to cut out and i think greens are vital for a healthy diet.

just my opinion though - read around and ask questions.

good luck.

[Heartsease]

I think it also helps to consider how people would 'naturally' find fruit....like,wow! Here's a tree convered in plums. People would eat until they were full, I think. (I would and have done). They would likely not take one plum and wander off to the next tree and find a pear. I think...in my experience...and considering our closest relatives....that mono eating would easily occur. Now that we have shops and planes we mix foods that would not likely mix in 'nature' ie. mango and apple. (One is a temperate fruit and the other tropical). I could be talking rubbish,of course.

I am a bit of a softie for plant rights (although I am not a fruitarian) and I like to remind myself (to make myself feel better?) that some leafy plants thrive when nibbled on. There are many plants in the kingdom that will suffer/die if they are not regularly chomped on/trimmed.

[emmapresley]

i think melon is a good fruit to eat all by itself ..should i rephrase that? i heard that it was better for digestion to eat melon seperately from other fruits..is what i mean.

[cedarblue]

yes i think that is right emma p, melon should eaten alone.

[RedWellies]

Funny that it's often served as a starter then...

[cedarblue]

probably lack of imagination there rw - the token veggie/vegan starter??


ideally all fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach at at least an hour BEFORE a meal, never as a dessert. perhaps the melon starter started as an aperatif a while before the main meal was served.

fruit salad as a dessert is a no-no really, the body won't be able to digest the fruit properly or draw all the nutrients from it as it's already digesting what's been eaten. fruit after a meal may also make one 'gassy'!

[emmapresley]

i do this every so often for like a good run of a few weeks..just eat fruit for breakfast and up until about 1pm..just always always on its own. i have to get into the habit of doing it, but i always feel sooo much better when i do.
definately i never eat any fruit after a meal..it just sits there for ages fermenting on top of all the other stuff that's been eaten and i hate it when people offer me fruit and i say no i dont want it..because its either later in the day or whatever and then thy look at me and do lots of judging. grr.
course when i'm not doing this fabulous eating-fruit-on-its-own thing, i either don't eat it at all or scoff several banana down in one go. ugh, i'm so inconsistent.

[cedarblue]

i also only eat fruit in the mornings, with greens in the smoothies too though.

[harpy]

I've never noticed any special problems from eating fruit before, with or after other foods. If the other stuff you're eating is vegetable matter anyway I don't understand why it should delay the digestion of the fruit. If you had a steak or something, then it might I suppose.

Probably the best thing is for people to experiment and see what works best for their individual digestions.

[Abascas]

ok, a few more questions, i'm wondering how these things would fall, if anywhere, into a raw diet:

soy/rice/ext. milks
Chocolate
frozen berries
tea
coffee
juices
bread

anything weird to look for? doubt it for a few of them, all of them seem obvious of where they fall, but i'm stupid a lot. I'm ignorant on a great many things

[cedarblue]

soy milk = not raw
you can make fresh nut milk etc though.

you can buy raw chocolate, regular vegan choc is not raw

frozen berries = raw

tea/coffee/juices from concentrate = not raw but up to you
freshly squeezed veg & fruit juice = raw

regular bread = not raw
'bread' can be made in dehydrator or purchased in some wholefood shops mainly in the u.s i notice.

[Reuben]

Is pasta raw?

[cedarblue]

no, although you can make raw 'pasta' from courgettes with a spirooli / saladaccio or into wide tagliatelle strips with a potato peeler.

[mexicanpotato]

i think melon is a good fruit to eat all by itself ..should i rephrase that? i heard that it was better for digestion to eat melon seperately from other fruits..is what i mean.

Yeah, that's right. Melon has the highest water content of all fruits. It leaves the stomach in literally minutes. This process is messed up however when you eat it with other food (even other fruit sometimes) Its best eaten alone.

Actually, most fruits leave the stomach in a few minutes so they should be eaten alone as well. In my experience, its best to eat fruit on an empty stomach and wait 15-30 minutes before eating other food (with the exception of bananas and avocados in which case its best to wait about an hour) and NEVER eat fruit on a full stomach.

As far as not mixing most fruits, I haven't heard of that. It would sure make fruit salads difficult though!

[cedarblue]

agreed, melon is best eaten alone.

[howdawg]

Why shouldn't one eat fruit on a full stomach? I appear to be very ignorant on this subject matter...

[emmapresley]

it digests really quickly so if your belly is full up with carbs or other stuff that takes a lot longer to digest then the fruit sits on top of it and ferments..making you have gassy stuff and all that. cedarblue will be able to epxlain it better

[xwitchymagicx]

Yes...I eat fruit seperate, and melon seperate. lol

[crimson~noir]

Actually, most fruits leave the stomach in a few minutes so they should be eaten alone as well. In my experience, its best to eat fruit on an empty stomach and wait 15-30 minutes before eating other food (with the exception of bananas and avocados in which case its best to wait about an hour) and NEVER eat fruit on a full stomach.

That is very interesting, I eat a few portions of fruit a morning for brekkie I guess I need to space them out a bit!

[Kitteh]

I think my Mum always used to say we shouldn't eat fruit after a heavy meal... but often I want something sweet after a meal, not before it. I have stopped having fruit salad after dinner but I still eat a banana with my cereal or with nuts at the same time..

And I mix fruit and veggies in a juice but I saw someone posted that it's ok because it's a juice.

[cedarblue]

yes, kitteh, as far as i know fruits and veg are ok to mix in juices and smoothies as they are broken down in the juicing/blending process.

i generally mono eat whole fruits with a gap between to aid better digestion.

[Kitteh]

Thanks CB

[nervine]

hmm i don't think mixing fruits is bad at all, iv been having kiwi and banana for breakfast the last week.

just keep this in mind:

Some of the worst combinations you can eat are:
- acid-starch, such as tomato and potato, apple and bread
- sugar-starch, such as dates and bread, bananas and bread, honey and oatmeal
- protein-protein, such as avocados and nuts

The habit of eating nuts and seeds with sweet fruit (especially with dried fruit) leads to fermentation.

[cedarblue]

hmm i don't think mixing fruits is bad at all,

its not necessarily bad but i think that the maximum nutritional value of a fruit is not fully absorbed as they each have different speeds of digestion so best to be eaten mono to get max effect thats all.

some fruit combinations can work better than others. alissa cohen has a good guide table in her book 'living on live food'
...but again it's just a guide so we should all do what feels right for us, right?

[Kitteh]

"The habit of eating nuts and seeds with sweet fruit (especially with dried fruit) leads to fermentation."

I eat a banana with nuts as I really like the taste of the 2 together :/... I don't feel to bad or bloated for it, so I think I will keep doing it for the time being

[cedarblue]

good for you - do whats best for you

[Peas'nHominy]

Well...this is a very interesting topic!

I must admit that I don't want to stop mixing it up. I'm just excited that I've managed to go raw. I really do like discovering the fun tastes of mixing things up, and it helps keep food exciting for me.

However, I'm pretty tired. I don't know if it's because I'm not eating enough or because I mix it all up, including melons.

I also have a hard time keeping my iron levels up...come to think of it, my vision has been a little blurry today, which is my main warning signal for my iron levels...

ugh. Maybe I should try not mixing for a while and see if I feel better? Any opinions?

[howdawg]

Peas 'n Hominy... Where are you getting your iron currently?

[Kitteh]

Perhaps you could add parsely to your smoothies and salads? Eat lots of dark green, leaft veggies?

If it gets that bad, maybe you could take a supplement for awhile, until you get your levels under control?

I am still taking my iron supp. as I have only just started Raw.

[cedarblue]

However, I'm pretty tired. I don't know if it's because I'm not eating enough or because I mix it all up, including melons.

i don't think mixing foods would make you tired. none of us are doctors here but for a guess i'd agree with howdawg and kitteh - check you are eating dark green leafy foods, the darker the better.
during a step up to a high/100% raw diet you may find you feel tired, sometimes that is simply a reaction from your body wanting the old cooked foods its used to? - but don't ignore it.

iron=spinach, cabbage,parsley, prunes, dates, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds.

make sure you are eating enough fat for energy too, like avocados, nuts, tahini (raw if you can get it) add dashes of oils (olive, flax, hemp) to dishes, smoothies, as drizzles, nut butters (again raw if you can get).

are you eating fat/energy rich foods early and during the day for energy instead of at night when its time to rest and not so urgent?

[paragonx]

This is an excellent thread. There is so much information to absorb.

[cedarblue]

glad you're enjoying it - feel free to contribute!

[ellaminnowpea]

I like this thread. I've heard a lot about food combining and fermentation. I think it's definitely a valid point and should be followed when possible, I've felt really weird after eating some fruits after a more starchy or grainy meal.

So how do you avoid blood sugar issues? I seem to be very sensitive to higher sugar foods. I've found that if I eat fruit with a grain, legume, or seed, it "stabilizes" my blood sugar. Without this, wouldn't the fruits create blood sugar rises and crashes?

[trudatman]

....soy/rice/ext. milks....

extraneous? extraterrestrial? extortionists? extreme milks? color me confused.

[Roxy]

So how do you avoid blood sugar issues? I seem to be very sensitive to higher sugar foods. I've found that if I eat fruit with a grain, legume, or seed, it "stabilizes" my blood sugar. Without this, wouldn't the fruits create blood sugar rises and crashes?

I'm going to try that. I noticed Cedarblue put up a photo of her morning snack in another thread. It was some grapes, dried apricots and a couple of different types of nuts. That type of combined snack would probably work in the same way.

[cedarblue]

twas green grapes, dried apricots, pecans & cashews

[Zero]

I think my Mum always used to say we shouldn't eat fruit after a heavy meal... but often I want something sweet after a meal, not before it. I have stopped having fruit salad after dinner but I still eat a banana with my cereal or with nuts at the same time..

And I mix fruit and veggies in a juice but I saw someone posted that it's ok because it's a juice.

From my personal experience: I find that because fruit breaks down and digests so fast that if I eat more complex foods that take longer to digest, before hand or at the same time, the fruit just sits on top of the other food and ferments making me not feel too good.

I used to eat about 4 different types of fruits for breakfast but found that I didn't feel very good, so then I got into mono eating...... I now find the fruit tastier and more appealing when I eat only the same fruit and I am always much more energetic and focused afterwards.

I don't sit down and eat big "meals" of fruit either, I just keep fruit around and will eat say 4 or 5 apples or bananas (or whatever) for "breakfast" over the space of 2 -3 hours while I am at work.

The only time I tend to mix different fruit are citrus with other types of citrus, and I mix all different kinds in green smoothies or juice because it's all broken up and very easy to digest.

My personal view is: Find what feels most optimal and comfortable for YOU, and go with it. If something isn't working then change it and see what happens.

Try to listen to what your body tells you to do.

[Zero]

So how do you avoid blood sugar issues? I seem to be very sensitive to higher sugar foods. I've found that if I eat fruit with a grain, legume, or seed, it "stabilizes" my blood sugar. Without this, wouldn't the fruits create blood sugar rises and crashes?

Simple sugars (fruit sugars) actually get utilized slower than complex sugars (eg complex carbs), this is contrary to popular belief, but because they are natural and unprocessed they have to be processed into their usable forms for the body, so blood sugar issues don't tend to arrise unless you have an existing condition or eat way too many highly sweet fruits, generally though you get turned off wanting to eat natural foods when your body knows it has had enough of something preventing you from ingesting too much sugar.

Bananas might be an exception to this as they are a very hybridised fruit, dried fruits can also cause an issue as they are missing the water content that your body is looking for, so it can be good to try to moderate these types.

However, I have never experienced a sugar crash on raw foods and I sometimes eat 6 -8 bananas in one day, I have however experienced such "crashes" when I have eaten highly processed foods like pasta.
Your body has nothing to break down in processed sugars, the work has already been done and the body has no way to store this sugar as it is not in a natural and unprocessed state, therefore all it can do is push it all through your pancreas and use it immediately, this over taxes the system and makes you want to go into rest and recovery mode (sleep), which over time can lead to health issues (as we know).

Obviously if you personally are sensitive to certain high sugar fruit, then there is likely a reason for that, and you should limit your intake or avoid them, you can always try to re-introduce them at a later stage after transitioning and healing.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

[cedarblue]

good wording zero!

[Kitteh]

I used to eat about 4 different types of fruits for breakfast but found that I didn't feel very good, so then I got into mono eating...... I now find the fruit tastier and more appealing when I eat only the same fruit and I am always much more energetic and focused afterwards.

I agree, I used to eat melons together w/ pineapple. And I would always find I didn't like the rockmelon.

Then I chopped up a rocky on it's own and it was delish!

Thanks for the info, Zero

[Roxy]

Maybe the acidity of the pineapple ruined the nice sweetness of the rockmelon. Mmmm - rockmelon - haven't had any for ages!

[ellaminnowpea]

whats rockmelon?

[Roxy]

canteloupe

[Roxy]

Maybe it's the way it ferments?

[Roxy]

Well I don't eat enough fruit for it to be a problem for me anyway

[Zero]

Hmm...excuse me for sounding ignorant. But you wouldn't keep your veggies seperated or bread types for that matter. I really don't think sugar content of mixing fruits would be a big deal.

When I first started eating raw I ignored all the people that said mono eating was best and that mixing too many fruits or fruit with vegetables because I think people should find their own way.
However, like I stated in my previous post, I just didn't feel as good as when I mono eat fruits and separated fruits and veg.

When you eat raw your body is in a different mode, it creates less stomach acid, all fruit becomes alkaline at digestion (at the natural pH Level of the body).

I know from first hand experience that it does make a difference as silly as it may sound now.

Fruit breaks down so fast that it will ferment on top of veg and cause acid and terrible flatulence!

When you are eating heavy grains (such as bread) your body is more acidic and produces much more stomach acid to digest so the grain and seems to balance out the effects I described above.

There is a lot to be said for grains (grass seed) they have helped a lot of civilizations through famine, I personally just don't consider them vital right now.

[missbettie]

you're so smart zero!

[ellaminnowpea]

When you eat raw your body is in a different mode, it creates less stomach acid, all fruit becomes alkaline at digestion (at the natural pH Level of the body).

I agree. I think the body is designed to be less acidic than we are used to on a modern diet. I have heard quite a few articles agreeing with the idea of alkaline bodies in relation to higher intakes of raw foods. I've it helps with blood flowability and stomach problems.

Unfortunately, I have a weird stomach condition that causes my stomach to not produce enough stomach acid. My stomach stays very alkaline, to the point that it doesn't digest any food very well. I think nutritional therapy (through my naturopath) and a couple supplements have really helped. I honestly feel like crap without closely watching my supplementation and keeping some cooked and acidic foods in my diet.