Art De Vany: Fruit

Fruit

July 7, 2005 03:35 PM

I have gotten a lot of questions or comments about fruit lately. It is almost against the Evolutionary Fitness Way to respond to them, but I want to make a few points.

First, most people frame a question according to the answer they expect. So, some of the questions are framed as though there is a contradiction or conflict between my views and someone else's. Just because the question is framed this way, doesn't mean that it should be answered according to that frame.

That is why I am posting this rather than answering a specific question. I don't think the questions are framed right.

Second, the questions seem to be seeking an answer to the question: what is optimal? No one knows, but you know better than anyone else if you look at the right information. All I am interested in doing is in setting out a model that lets anyone look at their own results and make some evaluations that may lead to better outcomes. But, nothing is certain.

Third, fruit contains lots of nutrients and minerals. Watermelon, for example, contains precursors to and significant amounts of glutathione, the premium antioxidant. So, you get benefits for your calories. It is empty calories that are the scourge of our eating. And we are vulnerable to calories in this form because they almost mainstream into our blood, giving a lift to those who are living on their blood sugar and their muscle mass to make more of it.

So, the question is: what are the benefits of fruit relative to the calories they contain. They happen to be relatively high, at least compared to most foods you might eat.

But, quantity matters. Even with a low caloric density, fruit in large quantities will increase blood glucose (the load behind the density is high). So, how much should you eat? That depends on you and your activities.

Now let's get to the nub of the issue. How do you know how much fruit is good for you? You almost can't know in any detail and I wouldn't say if I knew. Only you can see how you feel and look. Bloating is a sure sign you are eating too much. I never eat to any level of discomfort, so the bulk in fruit simply displaces other foods I might eat.

But, the questions seemed to be framed in a way to suggest that the fruit is in addition to the other things one eats. Not so. The bulk in fruit displaces other foods that are higher in energy density. So, like everything in life, it is economics and tradeoffs.

Remember, Dr. Rosedale is running a clinic for the obese, diabetic and otherwise metabolically challenged. So, why should his cautions about fruit apply to me? They shouldn't. He is a clinician, not a published scientific researcher. I haven't found references to his work in the journals. He has a lot of practical and theoretical knowledge and I believe he is a wise doctor, but what he says of his clients applies differently to someone like me. I am sorry to say that his book is not very good and I blame the publisher for that and his awful coauthor who seems to think that a list is a substitute for analysis and evidence. He, of course, is also to blame for letting this happen.

Here is the surest way to tell how you are doing on your diet and lifeway. Check your insulin level. It is a bit pricey, but the information is valuable. So the sure sign that I might be eating too much fruit would be if my insulin were high. It isn't. It is so low it is outside the lowest reading for which the lab will vouch for the accuracy of the reading. My doctor (back when I had one) said she had never seen such a low insulin reading. Clearly, I am not eating too much fruit or too much of anything I would add. My health is perfect and I am never sick. What else matters?

Economists know and preach that you should always measure outputs, not inputs. When you measure your intakes of foods you still haven't a clue to what they do in your body. This is one of many reasons why diets rarely work; you are measuring only inputs, not outputs. You have to measure something like insulin to see how your diet is affecting your metabolism. If you want to know about your work out regime---is it too hard or too easy?---then check your blood pressure and how you feel.

Evolutionary processes do not measure inputs. Only results matter. I always try to focus on results and what form or inputs help to bring them about.

By the way, I don't eat all that much fruit. I had a third of a Honey Dew melon this morning with four egg whites. I will often eat half a cantelope at breakfast with turkey breast or one of my egg white omelettes. I sometimes eat an apple, pear or a few grapes at lunch. It depends. It is all random.

· Evolutionary Fitness

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online at September 11, 2006 6:26 PM

Another great article on a great site, keep up the work Professor. A quick question on the subject; how do fruits that aren’t associated with being fruits fit into this? I’m thinking about less-calorie dense fruits such as cucumbers, peppers and even tomatoes that are all often thought of as vegetable.

Posted by: Troy Archie at July 8, 2005 2:55 PM

Great post, Art. I especially liked the focus on inputs and outputs. That's what would have counted 40,000 years ago and it should be what counts now. I don't measure insulin, but I do measure another output; I feel great! In autumn there's lots of fruit: "To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,/And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core..." Keats wrote 200 years ago. Unlike you, I eat lots of fruit when it's in season, fresh from the tree and warm from the sun. But I'm eating little now (mid-winter) and I'll eat less in spring.

Your post didn't mention activity. My daily cycle commute was its usual 35km today and it was cold and wet both ways. This trip burnt up more energy than it does in summer. It's my feeling that high activity levels give me more freedom with carbs. For me that means fruit and root vegetables from the garden - parsnips, salsify, scorzonera, carrots - eaten at evenings over the colder months, but not over summer. So my experience tells me that it's easier to have too much fruit if you (a) pick or buy more than you need for the coming few hours or (b) eat it out of season.

Don't know how the eggs got into this fruit post, but I can say I've been feeding my layers linseed lately, on top of the meat and fat scraps to supplement the greens and many insects they find in their run (hens are jungle fowl live mainly on insects and fresh greens but few seeds and grains in their Pleistocene environment). This should give a reasonable omega-3 dose. Hope so, as I eat about 15 eggs a week - all with their yolks!

Posted by: Keith Thomas at July 8, 2005 7:47 AM

Dr. Rosedale apparently believes in higher fat intake than you do. Care to comment?

Posted by: Wiley Long at July 8, 2005 7:18 AM

Easy. I don't like egg yolks and they have too much fat to suit me. Too much of it is lacking in color and content. I am more likely to eat the yolk when the egg is free range or enhanced in Omega 3 relative to Omega 6 content.

I do think about how what I eat will affect the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats in my membranes. Another topic for later discussion.

Posted by: Arthur De Vany at July 7, 2005 8:11 PM

Love the look and feel of the web page.
I use fruit as garnish on my salad. It tastes refreshing, while keeping the quantity minimum which also controls the insulin from large spikes.
Since cholesterol is not an issue why only eat egg whites?

Sattar

Posted by: Sattar at July 7, 2005 6:34 PM

Fruit

July 7, 2005 03:35 PM

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