Have you guessed what it is? You may be thinking of something powdered or exotic, since that’s what have come to be called “superfoods” today. Nature’s abundant offering of exquisite whole FRUITS have mostly been relegated to the status of a snack, dessert, or side dish. But today, I will make a case for why I believe that fresh, ripe, raw, whole fruits are the REAL superfoods, and why you will not truly thrive without consuming fruit in abundance.
I don’t consider any one type or class of fruits to be the best, or the most “super.” In fact, the true superfood status is meant to include a wide variety of different fruits. The only category I would put above the rest in terms of getting our daily needs met would be the SWEET fruits (as contrasted with non-sweet fruits such as tomato, cucumber, zucchini, avocado, bell peppers).
Nature’s fresh whole fruits contain an abundance of natural, healthy carbohydrates, essential vitamins and minerals, water, and gentle fiber. Of course, it’s important that they are grown in healthy soils, and not doused in toxic chemicals. Fruit trees have long tap-roots, and can draw nutrients from deep below the surface soil, so they are less dependent on the topsoil than vegetables.
When you eat fruit in its natural package, you are giving your body the nutrients it wants in the simplest and most efficient way. Along with vitamins and minerals, the simple carbohydrates in fresh fruit are the optimum fuel for your cells, which thrive on these simple sugars (processed sugars are a completely different story). Fruits are alkalizing, hydrating, and oxygenating in your body, and are the best food for creating a disease-resistant inner terrain. Isn’t it wonderful that this most awesome SUPER-FOOD of all is so delicious, appealing, and available?
How will you know if you are not getting enough of this amazing super-food?
Here are 10 common signs that you have an insufficiency of sweet fruit in your diet:
You crave sweets like candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, etc.
You look for a sugary dessert after dinner
You use caffeine to try and boost your energy
You crave strong spices
You often feel sluggish and uninspired
You experience PMS, and/or heavy menstruation
You are moody or depressed
You are overweight
Your digestive system is sluggish or uncomfortable
You get fatigued easily
As you increase the amount of sweet fruit in your daily diet, you will naturally decrease the amount of other foods eaten, because the sweet fruit is very satiating. It is so satiating because of its high vitamin and mineral content, its high natural sugar content, its naturally hydrating volume, and its soluble fiber. THERE IS NO FOOD THAT CAN SATIATE YOU IN A HEALTHIER WAY THAN RIPE SWEET FRUIT.
Read that line again: There is no food that can satiate you in a healthier way than ripe sweet fruit. That right there is why sweet fruit wins the prize as the tip-top super-food of them all. You will stop craving other sweets when you fully indulge your natural sweet tooth with enough ripe fruit. You will no longer look for caffeine to boost your energy, because it will rise and sustain naturally when you make the shift to fruit. Sluggish digestion, PMS, heavy menstruation, moodiness, depression, and excess weight are all improved or eliminated when fruit predominates in the diet (and other congesting and inflammatory foods drop away). It is very hard to overeat on juicy sweet fresh fruit, and over time your weight will stabilize where it’s meant to be.
A cleaner, lighter, more energized and radiant body naturally promotes a more inspired, more positive mood and mindset. In fact, a fruit-centric diet brings out our natural inner joy in the most easy and delightful ways! As those of us in the northern hemisphere head into the warmer outdoor temperatures of spring and summer, and for many folks the start of the growing season, now is a great time to make the shift.
Most people will need support to ‘go against the grain,’ and to eat radically more fruit every day. Not only is it a learning curve at the market and in the kitchen, this very cleansing way of eating also brings many emotions up to be felt. I think of it as a whole person detoxification and recalibration. This is definitely a good and necessary thing, for health and well-being — but it may feel like the ground is shifting under your feet.
I offer support in many different ways, from the books at my website, to a mentoring program, to customized in-person retreats in my home. I have been eating this way for over 20 years, because it just keeps on working. Nature’s intelligence is unmatched, and the perfection of FRUIT is what she lovingly offers us for our sustenance. When we honor the divine design for us, we thrive. It only feels hard because the world around us does not understand and honor fruit as our superfood, our best and most appropriate sustenance, and so we have to be brave and dare to walk the path less traveled if we wish to thrive in a confused modern world. I can tell you from experience that it’s well worth the extra effort!!
Imagine yourself nearly impervious to illness, energized and inspired, with much quicker recovery times from all challenges, and feeling closer to your naturally joyful inner essence. Isn’t that worth a lot?! Fruit can take you there, and no other food can even come close to matching all the good that fruit will do for you.