The power and magic of fruits
Nature's piece de resistance
If I were to choose only one food group for the rest of my life, (and I could sustain myself through it) I would be gobbling down a bowl of fruits before the question could even be fully asked. I would be a fruitarian if I could. Fruits for life; for fruits, are life itself.
Designed by nature and cooked by time
Life must feed on life to survive; there is no other way. Even a vegan must, at the end of it all, consume life to thrive. But no living thing wants to be eaten and so each and everyone (plants included) has several defense mechanisms that bar you from consuming it.
Animals have physical as well as chemical defense mechanisms. In contrast, plants have simple physical ones and highly complex biochemical ones to thwart any attack on any part of themself barring one.
Fruits are, arguably, the only part of a plant that it wants you to consume. A fruit is the culmination of a plant’s entire life; it is the purpose of its being. There is a reason a plant dedicates all its energies to turning a flower into the most delectable of creations; it allows the plant to propagate itself.
With their mesmerizing colors and enticing scents, fruits call out to you to eat them. Even the most stoic and disciplined diabetic amongst us will have difficulty turning down the alluring scent of ripe mangoes.
You could argue that there are other “consumable” parts of a plant but nature has not designed them to be that way. Humans, being the ingenious monkeys that we are, have found a way to consume it all.
Fruits are the only food that can be easily eaten, and digested, raw by humans and other fruit-eating creatures. Fruits are designed so that the animal can discard the seeds and propagate life. They are made by nature but they are cooked by time itself. Nothing else in nature is prepared by time, only degraded by it.
The embodiment of sattvic life itself
Ayurveda highly values a sattvic diet. A diet that brings about happiness, peace, calm, and vitality. A diet that is light and healthy; full of foods that are nutritious, fresh, vegetarian, and tasty. Fruits are the embodiment of that diet itself.
The scientific benefits
I know all that I have covered is of no interest to you. I know you are concerned about the direct and gross effects; not the subtle and indirect ones. I know you are interested in science. So here are some of the benefits that you could associate with fruits:
Phytonutrients, those magical compounds found in all plant matter, can regulate your genes turning them on and off as a response to the environment. Fruits can allow you to override your genetic code and regulate your genes to adapt and overcome the internal and external environment.
Fruits contain indigestible fiber that feeds your microbiota, the 100 trillion bacteria that call your body home. In turn, the healthy microbiota, known collectively as the gut microbiome, performs myriad functions and releases potent hormones and neurochemicals to affect everything from your immune system to memory and even cancer.
Fruits help regulate weight as the fiber reduces calorie intake while the antioxidants reduce inflammation (which is a driver of obesity)
Diabetics are told to veer away from fruit with the sugars inside them being held guilty to promote the dreaded disease. Fruit, and its sugar, do not propagate diabetes (an article on this later and more on this ahead) and can help to reverse and prevent it.
Fruits are known to even prevent cancer from growing within the body but the research is not as conclusive on their ability to reverse the same.
They can even lower blood pressure and improve other biomarkers of cardiovascular disease.
I can go on and on about the benefits of fruits and while they are not a panacea, they are miracle workers in the domain of nutrition. Every single healthy diet is rooted in the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Sugar bombs?
The primary concern with fruits is their sugar content. Diabetics shudder at the sight of sugary fruits, afraid that they will push their blood glucose levels to catastrophic highs, but happily gobble on biscuits loaded with the white powder.
What most people know but forget is that fruits are the slowest to digest, not to mention the most delicious, sugar bomb. Their sugar is interlaced with fiber allowing for the sugar to be slowly metabolized and absorbed into the body thereby preventing any sweet shocks to the system. Moreover, fruit sugar comes in the form of fructose which is metabolized differently by the system. It is not the enemy but your liver’s best friend. (More on this ahead)
Fruits do not cause diabetes, it is fat that does. Do not blame the fruits, you do not eat enough of them to be causing a sugar overload in the first place. Have a look at that plate of deep-fried flour and potato (aka samosa) that you had. Have a look at all the processed fructose in the form of sugar and soda that you have.
You will also note that the sweeter the fruit the more it is laced with not only fiber but the fiber of the soluble kind. It slows down digestion and ensures absorption of the fruit the way it is meant to be as long as you eat it as you should.
The only time a fruit does implode within is when you consume it as juice. You rob a fruit of its fiber and thereby you squeeze out its ability to slowly raise your blood glucose levels. A fruit, or anything for that matter, should not be juiced. It should be had as nature intended it to be had, whole.
In a recent and massive study of over 500,000 subjects followed over 7 years, the more frequently those studied ate fruit, the lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The lead researcher indicated wisely that “the sugar in fruit is not the same as the sugar in manufactured foods”.
Fruits are your liver’s best friend
The internet is littered with articles demonizing fructose and its harmful effects on the liver leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). There are myriad articles claiming fruits to be the enemies of the liver leading to its implosion. What most of these articles fail to understand is that while fruit contains fructose, not all fructose is the same.
The fructose in fruit is not processed like the fructose in sugar. Fructose goes a long way in replenishing your liver’s sugar levels and helps in triglyceride synthesis. Enough of it and your liver feels recharged, too much and your liver feels overwhelmed. The dose makes the poison; what saves you, can just as easily kill you.
When to eat fruits
The best time to eat fruits and extract their benefits is on an empty stomach, ideally first thing in the morning. This has dual benefits:
It preps your body for heavier meals to follow and fans the digestive fire that has just been ignited.
Fruits digest fairly quickly and thus you would want them to be eaten when the system is empty; not stuck in the traffic jam behind your morning meal of paratha and dahi.
The fruits that you can eat later in the day are the acidic and citrus variety. This is not only because they are better digested later in the day but because they are irritating for your system in the morning. Eating acidic fruits in the morning is akin to throwing scalding water on a sleeping person to wake them up.
How to eat fruits
Fruits should be eaten alone and not with any other fruit. There are certain rules to follow while eating fruits as well if you are so inclined. the infographic does a reasonably good job of it
The fruit superstars
Papaya
Excellent for liver and digestive health due to the presence of papainPomegranate
Arguably the most nutritious fruit as per western scienceGrapes
Considered the best fruit in AyurvedaBananas (in moderation)
Powerhouse but heavy to assimilateApples
Powerful prebiotic and gut cleansersMelons
Packaged hydration and rejuvenationAmla
The essence of ChywanprashMangoes
The king of fruits for a reasonBerries
A treasure chest of nutrients and phytochemicals