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By Bob Huttinga – Unfortunately I have had to say this before. I have been promoting information that I now believe to be inaccurate. Many times I have told people, especially folks who desired to eliminate some weight or people who were diabetic, to avoid fruit.
It appears that his information is simply not true. The concept of eliminating fruit from the diet comes from the popular advice to eat a lower carbohydrate diet. I still believe that low carb diets are beneficial especially when referring to foods made from grains, refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup.
Pure raw fruit, especially when grown organically, is one of the best foods on the planet. Fructose is the main sugar in fruit. Our body does not make an enzyme to digest fructose, so I was taught that it was hard to digest fructose. This is true when the fructose has been extracted from the plant and made into products like high fructose corn syrup and Agave Nectar (high fructose extracted from the starchy roots of yucca plants). But when the fructose enters the body in the form of a raw fruit, it can be quickly absorbed in the mouth and first part of the small intestine, and the enzymes to help digest it are actually found in the fruit itself (cooking and canning fruit destroys these enzymes). Processed sugars can feed cancers, but fruits actually help prevent and heal cancers because they contain large amounts of antioxidants that neutralize oxidation. Oxidation promotes aging and mutations of the DNA in our cells.
The big problem with fruit, especially in diabetes, comes about when it is eaten with any of the grains in the grass family. These grains like wheat, rice, corn, oats, and more, contain gluten, gliadin, and agglutinin. They all interfere with our body’s ability to use insulin correctly. When we eat something sweet, insulin is released from the pancreas. Every cell in the body is covered with insulin receptors. These receptors act like a lock, and insulin (the key) fits into the lock and turns on the sugar pumps that carry sugars into the cells for energy. The unfortunate thing is that gluten and it’s buddies look so much like insulin that they can fit into the receptor sites, keeping the insulin out. When this occurs, sugar cannot be transported into the cells and blood sugar increases. To reduce the excess sugar, the liver converts some of it into triglycerides, which are then converted into fat. This is the main reason obesity is at an all-time high.
The grains in the grass family include the following: Barley, Bulgur wheat, Corn, Durum wheat, Farina, Fonio, Graham flour, Kamut, Millet, Oats, Popcorn, Pumpernickel, Rice, Rye, Semolina, Sorghum, Spelt, Teff, Triticale, Wheat, and Wild rice. These grains and foods made from them should be avoided because they are at the root of type 2 diabetes. The following “grains” and flour products are not in the grass family and therefore can be eaten: Amaranth, Arrowroot, Buckwheat, Chia, Flaxseed, Quinoa, Potato flour, Sweet potato flour, coconut flour, nuts, and some Ezekiel products (not Ezekiel bread, it is made from sprouts but has gluten added).
So you can see fruit is not the problem. When we fix the issues with the insulin receptors, fruit becomes one of the best foods we can eat. This information comes from Anthony William, author of Medical Medium. This book and its companion cookbook are very helpful to learn to make great tasting healthy foods. The books are now available at The Healing Center in Lakeview. I am not saying everyone needs to be a vegetarian, but increasing fruits and veggies in the daily diet is a must to create and maintain sound health as we move into a food future that is becoming more and more filled with processed foods and additives that are ruining our body’s ability to give us perfect health.
Put Your Health in Your Own Hands