Dariusz:
> You might be right.  I also know from experience that eating fruit can be
> an endless task, even if I haven't experienced any serious digestion
> problems with larger quantities.  Mind you, I can take in ten large
> bananas just like that, even when I'm not hungry (this is nothing to brag
> about though; I'm sure it'll come back to haunt me a little later in some -
> even if minor - way).

I have gone through that stage too (sometimes 2-3 pounds of bananas).
I don't think it is something desirable.

> Do you mind elaborating on how your digestion got worse with time from
> eating fruit?

It often happened that, although I didn't intend to eat fruits, I was
frustrated not to have a sweet taste in my mouth, so I decided to have
a kind of dessert. But, having taken bad habits of eating huge amounts
of fruits, overeating+bad combinations made things very bad (flatulences,
afternoon slump, stool odors, soft or even watery stools). All these
symptoms increased with time.

It is interesting to note that, the first weeks (after a 10 day-fast),
despite bad combinations and overeating, my digestion was virtually
perfect (cylindric, odorless stools, no need to wipe). But now, I have
to be very careful not to exceed the limits and not to mix foods excessively.

> Why do "modern" fruits contain more sugar?
> Can overeating fruit really be bad for you?  We're still talking live,
> raw foods not Mars bars or white sugar.

I can only encourage you to explore the archives, especially the
article "table of comparison wild/cultivated fruit" by Tom Billings,
and his discussion of fruitarianism.

Regardless of the degree of "rawness", too much sugar induces excessive
production of insulin, which *can* lead to sugar high and sugar blues.
To give an idea of how important insulin is to your body, a popular
book is "Enter the Zone" (B. Sears).

Anyway, healthy or not, I don't like being addicted on any kind of food,
and I found that with a high-sugar diet, I was frustrated if I didn't
have a sweet taste in my mouth during my meals.

> What does your typical menu look like?  I'd love to hear it.

Well, my diet is changing now... I generally have 2 meals/day, sometimes
only one. The little quantity of fruit I eat is at the beginning of
the first meal (as the stomachal digestion of fruit is quicker).

Apart from fruit, I have some vegetables (like lettuce, cucumbers,
corn, carrots, celery sticks, celery roots, cauliflower, broccoli,
tomatoes...). Of course, I choose the vegetables that smell/taste
most pleasant among those in my refrigerator). My "rule" is to
eat vegetables at every meal.

I also have proteins or fatty foods: avocados, nuts, fish, eggs, sprouts
(like mung beans, lentils, kamut, buckwheat, sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds). As some are long to digest, one should be careful
about not overeating and about combinations (i.e. avoid excessive
mixings).

For eggs, white and yolks should be tested separately. If our instinct
is correct, a good taste indicates that it is beneficial. For a long
time, whites kept tasting ugly, but now I can often eat them.
I also find eggs tastier when aged (1 or 2 weeks at room temperature,
depending on the temperature).

> Ever think you're getting too little sugar, if you do stop craving it?

You of course need a certain amount of carbohydrates everyday (because
the brain and the nervous system cannot use fat for energy, except
under "ketosis" which is an exceptional process, as during fasts). If
you don't have enough carbohydrates, the proteins (from your diet
or your muscles) will be broken down into glucose.

But the body can function very well with a little quantity of carbohydrates
(Tom says he has heard about people living for years on a mung beans-
monodiet). For me, decreasing the amount of fruit has helped me
have a lower calorie-diet (without losing weight or "energy").

Of course, other foods than fruits contain carbohydrates (roots,
sprouts...)

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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