the triad diet programries daily (purple, blue, red, containing anthocyanidins) that can
help protect your eyes from macular degeneration and keep them
healthy, among other body benefits. Fruit is loaded with antioxi-
dants and phytochemicals that protect your body and help direct
your genes in the way we evolved. The whole fruit is better than
the sauce or puree, which is better than the freshly made juice,
which is better than the reconstituted juice, and so on.
People bash fruit a lot because of the sugar content, but this is
way overblown. Fructose (monosaccharide), which is fruit sugar, is
metabolized differently and slower than glucose or sucrose (table
sugar). Fructose must go to the liver first to be metabolized. Sec-
ondly, when you eat the whole fruit, you are diluting the calories
in that fruit with water and fiber. It will be more slowly absorbed
than the fresh-squeezed juice or if it was pureed into a sauce (e.g.,
applesauce). Eating a whole fruit is not at all like taking a gulp of
high fructose corn syrup, which is a concentrated mixture of glu-
cose and fructose without any fiber or phytonutrients.
A Note about Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates
It is very popular now to consume one or several different
fruit or vegetable extracts, juices, or concentrates (sold usually in
a multilevel marketing structure) or the whole “green drinks” in
powder form. In general, I don’t have a problem with patients pick-
ing out one or two they like, feel better with, or seem to resonate
with on some level. But—here is my big but!—don’t replace whole
fruit and vegetables with any drink or supplement. Just don’t do it!
This mentality is flawed. Eat a wide variety of whole fruit and veg-
etables, and supplement a good whole-food diet with your juice/
vegetable drink du jour if you want.
Beans
Beans are a fabulous food because they are rich in protein, slow-
release carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. They are