I asked this question in the 5 A Day forum (see this post here), and only got one response. Perhaps that wasn't the best place for it. So, thought I'd go ahead and ask it again in the OWL forum. Hopefully I'll get a little bit more response.

I said in that post that I don't eat fruit, but I guess I do since I occasionally eat avocado (which is technically a fruit, but I always think of it as a veggie). And, BTW, what is tomato - fruit or veggie? 'cause I eat that too.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts/insights/words of wisdom/suggestions!

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Debby

i didnt eat ANY fruit for the induction phase of atkins.. but then shortly afterwards i would have a bit of raspberries.. strawberries ..from time to time..
now.. after 9 months? HMMMM well.. i always have a bit of fruit at the salad bars i go to.. usually a bit of melon and strawberries.. a bit of watermelon...
its funny.. because i feel a bit decadent when i do that..*L* i walk straight by the desert bar.. with all the pretty little cakes and pies and such.. and then i head over to the fruit bowl and get my DESERT..
:-)
(each time saying to myself (because if i say it outloud ..people tend to stare..8-[ ) that i CAN have stuff off that desert bar.. but.. honestly? i dont want it.. i dont crave it.. but then.. i always liked the LOOK of the cute little fancy deserts..but never REALLY liked the way they tasted..)

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kims SECOND journal is HERE
kims new blog
KIMS BLOG !!
SUGARFREE BLOG

(Musta been posting at the same time as Kim)....

Debby, you seem to be having a heck of a time getting much response to your questions about fruit and FruitPlus!

I'm not familiar with the FruitPlus supplements, but I can tell you that I am maintaining fine health eating virtually no fruit. I didn't eat any fruit at all until a few months ago (after about 18 months of maintenance), when I added in berries and then melon, about a half cup 2 or 3 times a week. Although it tasted fabulous to me and I felt good, I noticed the scale starting to sneak up a bit after a few weeks. I also found that my appetite in general was stronger and harder to satisfy. My weight has been absolutely stable for nearly two years, and I had made no other changes besides the addition of fruit, so I felt certain it was the fruit nudging things upwards. I would have to work out harder/more often to keep the fruit in my diet, and I guess I wasn't willing to make that effort, so I've dropped the fruit for now.

As for whether eating fruit is essential to good health, who really knows? No doubt it contains some desirable nutrients, but I seem to be doing just fine without it - my lab work (cholesterol, blood glucose, electrolytes etc) is all perfectly normal, I feel good, have good energy levels, healthy hair, skin, and nails. I do take a multi-vitamin daily, and I eat LOTS of veggies, probably 9-12 servings most days.

Not sure this will be of any help to you, but now you know there's at least one other non-fruit person out here!

Best wishes,
Sky
Atkins since 8/02
196/144/under 150

Thanks, Sky! That was helpful. I've just been kind floundering lately and was talking to my friend about it. She suggested the JuicePlus+ since it's done wonders for her. She doesn't do any particular LC plan, but does not eat sugar or refined carbs (although I guess she might have some every once in awhile... we didn't actually discuss this, but she does mill her own flour), and she doesn't drink caffeine anymore. Her blood sugar has stabilized, she's happier, and she's lost 10 pounds since starting the JuicePlus+. It seems like it's the miracle she's been waiting for, and she thought it might do the same for me. So, she gave me a month's worth of the stuff, and I haven't taken any yet. Don't want to add it in when I'm mixing other things up (like getting back in the groove of exercising again).

Anyway, it was her giving me this sample that got me to thinking about my not eating fruit. I really don't miss it, but started thinking that maybe it's important and I really should add some back in.

I've been finding myself lately wanting things (HC stuff) that I'd be much better off not eating. I'm not really sure the cause of it, but am trying to figure that out.

Also, I'm trying to figure out what's best (for me) in the whole arena of sweet-tasting things, i.e., DV syrup in my coffee and other sweet treats. Am I better off without any of that? OR, am I better off finding good substitutes? Just not sure what's best for me and not sure how to go about figuring it out. My friend (the JuicePlus+ gal) thinks that perhaps if I start taking the JuicePlus+ my blood sugars will stabilize and I will not desire sweet things anymore. Who knows? I guess I'd just have to try it out.

In some ways I would love to be freed of the desire for sweet (would be good before getting preggers again since I don't really want to use too much splenda while pregnant)... but, in other ways it seems like life would lose some of it's pleasure without sweet tasting things.

Boy... I guess I've really gone on here. Sorry about that. Just trying to work things out.

But, I did want to ask you a couple of questions, Sky... I hope that's okay. Do you still count/track your carbs? Do you eat any LC products like bread or tortillas? Or, do you just pretty much stick to meat/eggs/cheese and veggies? And, do you get a lot of variety w/your veggies or pretty much just eat a few? I tend to stick w/green beans (easy), cabbage (for coleslaw), and big salads w/lettuce, cucumber (and sometimes tomato and/or avocado). Just curious since you've had such wonderful success, both with losing and maintaining. You're an inspiration!

Okay, just one more thing to add... everybody always says you have a lot of energy on Atkins, but I don't! I feel tired most of the time. Not sure why. Could be stress... or maybe it's just that I'm getting older and have a very full plate. Would like to have more energy so I could keep up on all the things that I need to be doing. Not sure how to get it (more energy, I mean).

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Debby

Most "experts" I've heard speak on this topic (fruit) say that there isn't anything in fruit that you can't get in veggies - except all the sugar. Not that fruit is evil! But if you're eating a wide variety of veggies, and nice big portions of the non-starchy, high fiber ones, you really don't need much else.

Or so I've heard.

Thanks, Andrea! I guess maybe I should just concentrate on getting more variety in my veggie intake. And, get in some...

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCandrea nice big portions of the non-starchy, high fiber ones

Now, please remind me (and forgive me for having to ask), which are the highest fiber ones?

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Debby

Andrea's right. I'm not a big fruit eater and never really have been other than the occasional helping of strawberries, blueberries or sour cherries. The reality is, I think, that we were never meant to eat fruit on a daily basis unless it's in small amounts. Fructose (fruit sugar) is also implicated in being problematic for people with IBS which is one of the reasons I don't eat much of it.

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>^..^<
Esther

Debby, I try and eat a lot of broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts (not as good a ratio carbs to fiber but not terrible). High fiber and on the good list. Of course some people don't care for those veggies. I also have a lot more to add for variety like squash and other stuff but when I am in need of fiber I like to eat broccoli.

As far as fruits go...and yes tomatoes are also technically fruits like avocados...Atkins recommends berries. I have grown to love berries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Of course the carb content is a little higher but as long as you figure it in for the day you don't have to do without. I like to have them a few times a week and these berries also do help with the fiber.

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Noël


Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strengths.

I eat my fruit--I love berries with a bit of yogurt, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, you name it, I eat pears, grapefruit(I am nine months into this way of eating), apples (usually just half), peaches, melons, you name it, but I also eat a ton of veggies--3C salads at lunch and another 1-2 cups of varying veggies at dinner. . .I don't think there is anything in a fruit that I couldn't get in a veggie, but I love fruit and it hasn't stopped my weight loss so I continue to eat it! I try to eat all natural--not always as successful as I would like, but fruit is one way I can have my "sweets" and not worry about all the negative side effects of refined sugars.

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Lori

232/190/130
My other journal http://www.lowcarbeating.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1130

Hey thanks Deb for the post, very interesting and have actually satisfied my some of my curiousity about the effects and benefits of fruit other than satisfaction of the sweet tooth. Im actually stalled right now and was thinking of pulling fruit out for a while to see what effects it might have had.

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Started LC 1-10-04

302/199/160, 103lbs down, 39 to go, simply remarkable.

Restart- 8-19-07
242/226/160


405 points to date ( HOLIDAY CHALLENGE )