Since spring is just around the corner, I can start thinking more about farmers’ markets and local berry stands. Nothing beats the taste of fresh ripe raspberries. So. Good. While you won’t ever find me hating on fruit, there are a lot of people that do. Some are concerned about the glycemic load in fruit. Others are afraid of the carbs. However, a healthy diet does include fruit, as well as carbs. While thoroughly chewing your fruit is one way to counteract the effects of blood sugar concerns, eating fruit can lead to digestive upset and several trips to the bathroom. This is one reason it is imporant to consume more fruit, not avoid it.
The Importance of Fruit’s Laxative Effects
Fruit, berries especially, are nature’s fiber boosters. It bulks up our waste and makes it easier to pass eliminate that waste through our bodies. If waste is sluggish or stagnant, we are unable to absorb nutrients from the foods we are eating. Our bowels are too overwhelmed. Disease and illness are not far around the corner because all of that waste is a toxic breeding ground for the type of bacteria and pathogens that we want to avoid.
These harmful bugs are attracted to us when we are filled with toxins because that is exactly what they feed off of. When our digestive system is in ideal shape and functioning well, that problem doesn’t exist. We can eliminate the waste that makes us look like an attractive host to harmful invaders. The result is we get sick less often and we feel a little lighter. Fruit is just one way to help make that happen.
Fruit is a Necessary Part of a Healthy Diet
Maybe this is one of the reasons we need fruit in our diets. As humans, we have these amazing little things called taste buds that allow us to enjoy our food at a different level. There is a whole segment dedicated just to recognizing sweet flavors. Before processed foods hit the scene, fruits were the main way to utilize these specific taste receptors. We aren’t born with superflous body parts. If we have a section of our body with the precise job of tasting sweets, that must be a pretty important thing for our survival.
The key here is to feed our bodies the types of sweets that actually improve our health and vitality. We were designed to break down and digest whole fruits. We were not designed to binge on soda, twinkies, or even the highly processed forms of fruit-based junk food lining the shelves of the “natural” health food aisles. As delicious as some of that might sound to you, it does you no good.
When Tummy Troubles Persist
Still though, what about the digestive upset that can accompany fruit consumption for some people? When we chew our foods well, fruit is one of the easiest foods for our bodies to digest. This is why fruit is one of the best food groups to consume during an illness because you are not taxing the body with digesting heavy foods. Because fruit is so easy to digest, it moves through the body fairly quickly. If you are looking to minimize the uncomfortable effects of fruit’s laxative properties, eat fruit by itself. Eating it with other foods or after a meal can result in the fruit being trapped behind other foods that take longer to digest. If fruit starts fermenting in your gut, it won’t feel pleasant.
Let’s consider another reason why those tummy troubles happen. Because fruit can be so effective at mobilizing waste, we can be left with the side effects of detoxification. As uncomfortable as this is, it is merely a sign that our bodies need some help cleaning things up. The fruit isn’t the problem, the buildup of junk in our bodies is. If we are finally getting that waste to move within the body, it might not feel the greatest. We need to make sure that all of our elimination pathways are open to allow it to leave the body. When it can’t leave, it just recirculates throughout the body until it finds somewhere else to cling to. It will continue to cause problems until it is escorted out.
Taking It One Step Further
If you are concerned about possible toxin buildup in your body or dysfunctional elimination pathways, it might be time to start working on cleaning things up. Your body detoxes every single day without your conscious effort, but in our modern world most of us need to take an active role in cleansing for optimal health. You can start that process today by adding more fruit to your diet. If you are looking for more powerful cleansers or have years of toxins to work through, herbs can be very effective. If you are ready to take steps toward a cleaner and healthier body, check out my herbal consultations.