Gary,
>Does anyone know what fruits that are commonly available to the consumer
>are closer to wild state with respect to sugar/fiber ratio and other
>relevant parameters?
>
>I would think: some berries, longan, lychees, durian, jakfruit, coconut,
>olives, bananas, papaya, in other words, most tropicals. Or are tropicals
>just as altered as apples and citrus?
Assuming that bananas (for example) are less altered than apples and
oranges, I'll quote some relevant data from an "official" chart I have
on-hand here:
Apples -- 5.5oz serving contains 80 calories and 5 grams of fiber.
Oranges -- 5.5oz serving contains 50 calories and 6 grams of fiber.
Now, compare that to bananas:
Bananas -- 4.5oz serving (smaller serving size listed than the others above)
contains 120 calories and 3 grams of fiber.
So, as you can see, the supposedly "less altered" bananas actually contain
significantly less fiber, and more sugar, than the "more altered" apples and
oranges. Thus, from a nutritional standpoint, perhaps cultivated apples &
oranges are not all that "unnatural" after all, when comparing to wild
tropical fruits.
How might apples & oranges (and bananas for that matter) compare to the
other fruits you mentioned? I don't know, as I don't have any data on-hand
for those fruits. Although if I wanted to, I could find it on the net somewhere.
Also, a question still stands that I asked on this forum previously, which
was basically: does anyone have any data (i.e. regarding levels of sugars,
fiber, etc.) for the specific fruits that the bonobos and chimpanzees
typically eat in their natural environments? Bonobos are said to eat the
majority (80-90%) of their diets as fruit, and the claim has been made by
several sources that bonobos are a "closer relative", genetically speaking,
to humans than chimpanzees (who are also a "close relative", genetically, to
humans, and eat 60-70% of their diets as fruit). So, I think this question
is relevant, especially when considering the predominantly frugivorous
dietetic nature of the human body.
Wes
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