My husband and I recently started on a health journey. We have been learning a lot about what we are supposed to eat and why. Learning about the history of our diet and what our prehistoric ancestors ate has really opened our eyes. For instance, we learned that most of us today are pretty much always dehydrated because even though we might drink our six to eight glasses of water each day, we don’t eat the water-packed foods that our ancestors ate. In other words, we eat lots of protein, salty snacks, chemicals and preservatives instead of a plant-based diet with protein mixed in every so often (when there was a big kill).
One of the more interesting tidbits that we have learned thus far, is that fresh fruit should only be eaten on an empty stomach. Otherwise, it can cause digestive issues and heartburn because of fermentation. (Caveat: cucumbers, tomatoes and avocados are not lumped into this category even though they are also fruits because of the lower sugar content.) Fruits are easily digestible and other foods may not be, so they sit on top of the other foods waiting to be digested.
How many times do we reach for a piece of fruit for a midday snack or eat a strawberry sundae for dessert? (I used to eat grapefruit for dessert!) One great thing about fruit is that it is packed with water and lots of phytonutrients. One of the changes with our new diet is to add six servings of fruit. This means that we have to eat all of it on an empty stomach. Not only are we supposed to eat it on an empty stomach, but we have to have a variety of fruit—so we can’t just eat six peaches. So, it has been fun eating fruits we have never thought about eating before.
So, here is my challenge to you…try eating 2 to 3 servings of fresh fruit every morning before breakfast. Then, don’t eat any more fruit during the day unless it is one of the fruits in the caveat above or dried fruit (just be careful of added sugar). Start with two or three and see if you can work your way up to six! It’s a great way to add more naturally healthy foods to your diet. Think about fruits you have never tried like dragon fruit, star fruit or Pawpaw fruit. I hope you decide to take on this challenge! If you do, email me and let me know what fruits you decided to try.