>Peter, it looks like the language barrier is tougher than I thought.
>For instance my only exposure to "macro nutrients" has been in the
>context of soil.  Animal feed is usually reported as crude protein,
>total digestible fiber, fat, and such.  I can't remember "macro" ever
>being attached.

It is a term used a lot among nutritionists. Many diets are defined by
their breakdown of the main macronutrients, carbs/proteins/fats.
80/10/10 = the high carb Ornish/Pritikin type diet, 60/20/20 = the ADA
diet, 40/30/30 = the zone diet and 20/40/40 = the low carb Atkins type
diet.  Regarding the Atkins diet I am not sure about the exact ratios
but they are in that neighborhood.  ADA stands for the American
Diabetic Ass.

Rex:
>Similarly, cows eat, and do well on a diet of tubers, which you
>suggest is an impossibility.

They might be able to get by for a while but my point is that they
would never be able to thrive on a diet of high brix tubers simply
because they are biologically designed to eat grass. This point would
even more obvious if they were fed a diet of high brix, unshelled
coconuts and high brix, whole durians exclusively - even a low brix
grass diet would be way superior to this. :)

Rex:
>They also relish fruits such as tomatoes, oranges, and apples.

But hardly in amounts that would classify them as fruitarians. :)

Rex:
>And, based on cats, I assume lions eat grass.

I have often seen cats eat grass but if I decided to feed my cat a diet
consisting of mainly high brix grasses, I am sure even you would try to
talk me out of it. :)

Peter:
>>Have you ever compared the brix of wild fruits and greens to that of
>>their modern hybridized counterparts?

Rex:
>In other words, if there were two 'wild' fruit trees and one had
>better tasting fruit, it would stand a better chance of having a human
>or animal pluck its fruit and spread its seed.

That makes a lot of sense but I think my rather naive question was how
does the brix of wild celery compare to that of celery selected and
grown by human hand?

Rex:
>However, FWIW, I do sometimes check the Brix values of weeds in crops.
>If the weed Brix is higher than the crop Brix, I know I'm fertilizing
>improperly (i.e., I'm feeding the weeds instead of the crop).

Interesting that weeds and crops would have such different needs for
nutrients.

Peter:
>>Repeat after me: A high brix, imbalanced diet is less detrimental
>>to health than a low brix, imbalanced diet and brix never can
>>make up for fundamental imbalances of macronutrients in a diet. ;-)

Rex:
>Peter, I tried repeating this and it puzzled me.  I saw the smiley,
>and tried laughing, but even that didn't work.

That is because you are not trying hard enough. You have got to keep
repeating it like a mantra until the meaning comes to you. :)

Rex:
>Even allowing for your misuse of "macronutrients,"  I still can't
>figure if you're serious. Then, when I combine the above with this...

You doubt my sincerity? - you will be contacted promptly by my second
so this blotch on my honor can be wiped off. :)

Peter:
>>Rex, you cannot fool us with another one of your poorly veiled plugs
>>for fruitarianism. ;-)

Rex:
>...I have to accept that all seriousness, or attempts at seriousness,
>are out the window.  Have I been assigned an agenda?

You mean you are denying that you are a fruitarian mold. :)

Rex:
>If so be careful, for labeling me may instead label you.

Labels have throughout history served the important function of
identifying undesirable social elements.  The CDC - The Committee for
Dietary Cleansing - will tolerate no more of your evasiveness - are you
or are you not a plant for the subversive fringe group the Fruitarian
Liberation Front? ;-)

Peter:
>>Likewise, if humans are not designed to eat high fruit diets, no
>>matter how high the brix of the fruits consumed, it will not be able
>>to make up for the macronutrient imbalances in such diets.

Rex:
>Well, your claim is logical *if* humans are not designed to eat fruit.

Is there in your opinion any evidence to support the suggestion that
humans are designed to eat a high brix fruit diet?

Rex:
>OTOH, why does the high Brix stuff taste so wondrously good?

Because Brix is a good indicator of when plants have fully matured and
because high brix = high mineral and high overall nutrient content.

Rex:
>Sorry Peter, but that's the best I can do today.

Don't sweat it. Before long you will learn that when I am seem to be
kidding is when I am the most serious and when I seem sincere is when I
should be trusted the least. ;-)

Best, Peter