Today’s scrumptious inspiration. You are what you eat.
Let’s face it, with so much information about superfoods and super diets constantly marketed to us via every possible media outlet, it can be downright confusing and difficult to know exactly what we are supposed to eat to be healthy, well nourished humans! And it seems the theories are ever changing; today’s kale smoothie may be yesterday’s cabbage soup diet. Even fruit, that delicious, perfectly-wrapped, natural candy sometimes wears the villain’s cloak. But before you toss aside those bananas, here are four reasons fruit is actually the perfect human food:
Let’s face it, with so much information about superfoods and super diets constantly marketed to us via every possible media outlet, it can be downright confusing and difficult to know exactly what we are supposed to eat to be healthy, well nourished humans! And it seems the theories are ever changing; today’s kale smoothie may be yesterday’s cabbage soup diet. Even fruit, that delicious, perfectly-wrapped, natural candy sometimes wears the villain’s cloak. But before you toss aside those bananas, here are four reasons fruit is actually the perfect human food:
1. Your Body Wants To Eat Fruit
Fruit naturally contains sugars which humans naturally crave. As fruit ripens, it’s scent becomes stronger, triggering our senses, specifically the limbic systems which regulates our emotions and even our memories. This combination of emotion, taste and the vibrant, visual beauty of fruit combines to make fruit undeniably attractive to us. Yum! Try Raw Strawberry Chocolate Coconut Pie or a Raw Fruit and Coconut Cream Cake if you’re tired of plain old, handheld fruits.
2. Fruit Wants To Be Eaten By You
This attraction to fruit isn’t arbitrary. Fruit wants us to eat it. Flowering and fruiting plants have evolved to become delicious, beautiful and desired by humans so that we’d eat the fruit, thereby ingesting the seeds and spreading them further than if the fruit had simply dropped to the ground and sprouted where it fell. This symbiotic relationship between fruit and mammals is important to the longevity of both species. Unripe fruit, or fruit in which the seeds are not yet able to reproduce, will taste bitter; however, when the seeds have matured, the fruit will be undeniably delicious and nutritious to us, ready to nourish us and be carried off to create new plants elsewhere.
3. Fruits and Humans Evolved Together
The appearance of fruit on the planet coincided with the appearance of mammals, and as the variety of mammals increased, so did the flowering, fruiting plant types. Unlike vegetables, which have changed considerably since the beginning of human evolution due to domestication, fruit naturally evolved alongside humans to be sweeter, juicier and more attractive. As specific types of mammals developed forward facing eyes able to spot fruits hanging amongst the leaves, hand bones able to grasp, and herbaceous teeth suited for noshing, grinding and peeling, so fruits became sweeter, brighter and more vivid to attract eating, thereby disseminating their seeds. Additionally, human digestive tracks evolved to be well suited to easily process the nutrients in fruit. And most exciting of all, the hormones in fruit may even be responsible for the evolution of the human brain on a cellular level, combining with human DNA to create specifically human traits such as empathy, compassion and self awareness!
4. Fruits Are Undeniably Good For You
There are limitless studies on the undeniable benefits of a diet rich in fresh fruits. Both preventative and as a treatment for a multitude of ailments, from cancers to heart disease, there really is no downside to incorporating fresh fruit into your daily diet. Additionally, fruit is full of hydrating water, perfect doses of key necessary vitamins and minerals and impressive fiber content. The fiber in fruit creates a time-release for the sugars and nutrients. However, when the fiber is removed by juicing, you are essentially injecting the sugars straight into your system without the fiber to slow down the process for proper assimilation. This is where fruit gets (unfairly) a bad rap. The benefits of a high fruit diet greatly outweigh the problems that can occur as a result of juicing. According to Dr. David Ludwig, of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, sugar consumed in fruit is not linked to any adverse health effects, no matter how much you eat. Though they may react differently in some people’s bodies, overall fruits are a healthy food most anyone can enjoy.
5. Fruit Makes You Happy
The natural sugars in fruit are a memory, mood and creativity booster! The complex carbohydrates found in sugar can food the body with serotonin, reducing stress and creating an elevated mood. Remember to choose whole, fresh fruits as much as possible and don’t neglect your veggies – your body needs both!
If you eat fruit, what’s your favorite kind?
By one green planet
Fruit it is then?
