EatFruitFeelGood

You probably have noticed that staying 100% raw or even eating a healthy high raw diet doesn’t seem to happen on its own.

At times it can be a lot easier to just eat what everyone else is eating. But of course we don’t feel our best if our diet doesn’t consist mostly of raw fruits and veggies. Am I right or am I right? ☺

So we try to stay raw but it doesn’t always work. Why is that?

As Yoda says: Do or do not. There is no try.

You’ve heard it before: will power doesn’t work in the long term. It’s no joke! Will power is a mechanism that allows us to act contrary to our instincts during emergencies in order to keep us alive. No matter how hard we try, we can’t be successful at something we don’t want to be doing.

We have to want to eat this way. We have to love eating this way.

Wherever we happen to live, if we want to eat a raw diet we have to make sure we’re getting the absolute best tasting fruit that we can. And lots of it!!

If we’re eating enough fruit staying raw isn’t actually so tough.

The biggest reason we under-eat fruit and then fall off the wagon is not having enough delicious, ripe fruit around. This is probably no mystery to you, but how many times does this still happen to us?

Buy Enough!

If you live within walking distance of a good grocery store or farmers market, having enough fruit around is simply a matter of going and getting it, and allowing enough time for certain fruits to ripen. Things are even easier for those who live in an area where they can forage or grow their own fruit.

Otherwise, if you’re serious about having lots of fruit in your life, I highly recommend buying in bulk. Not all, but a good portion of it.

“But that’s too much fruit, what am I going to do with all of it?”

What do you think you’re going to do with it??

EAT IT!

The more fruit you eat the less you’ll be eating of everything else that you already know is not-so-good-for-you. If you have a family that eats a lot of fruit then buying in bulk makes even more sense.

“But won’t it all go bad?”

If you buy cases of seasonal fruit and learn some basic storage tips there’ll be very little spoilage, if any. As long as you eat it of course. ☺

If you’re not interested in a 100% or high raw (80%+) diet then buying in bulk may not be the thing for you. Otherwise buying in bulk is almost a necessity for most people eating a raw diet long term.

Some grocery stores will offer a 10-15% discount on cases of fruits and vegetables (they may not say they do but try ordering a case or two from the produce manager and you might be pleasantly surprised). If not find a wholesaler in your area and order from them.

What should I buy?

Knowing what fruit is in season where you live (e.g. North America) is key to having plenty of the best tasting fruit on hand. In season fruit will be cheaper and higher quality 90% of the time than fruit imported from the other end of the globe. Local is superior of course but do the best you can.

Pg. 173 The 80/10/10 Diet by Douglas Graham has a chart showing the seasonal availability of fruit in the northern hemisphere. The book is so highly recommended that I’d tell anyone who doesn’t own a copy to order it now.

High calorie fruits should be the top priority on the shopping list because staying raw is largely about eating enough calories from fruit.

Bananas are a high calorie fruit that is cheap and available year round. Buy at least 1 case of bananas every week! Once you drinking banana smoothies on a daily basis those bananas will go quick. If you’re eating 30 bananas a day you’ll actually need 2 cases a week!

Find a brand of bananas you like, because you’re probably going to be eating a lot of them! Fair trade bananas (e.g. Earth university or Cerro Azul) are a better choice both ethically and often taste wise than conventional or even some organic brands (e.g. Dole). Otherwise buy organic when you can.

Medjool dates are always ready to eat so they are great for traveling and when nothing else is ripe. Some found in stores may not be raw (e.g. conventionally grown Bard Valley brand). They are in season during the fall which is when they are easiest to find in bulk, but are available in most areas year round.

Mangoes (spring/summer), Figs and grapes (late summer/fall), Persimmons (late fall) are widely available high calorie fruits that are definitely worth buying by the case when in season.

Juicy fruit like citrus, melons, papaya, all of which make a great breakfast meal, may be worth buying in bulk if you enjoy eating a lot of any of these. Buying berries in bulk is usually not recommended since they are low in calories and are often expensive. I don’t normally buy greens or other vegetables in bulk since they need to be stored in the refrigerator and you often get a LOT in a case.

Learn to care for your fruit!

I’ll share a few quick tips on how to store and ripen some common fruits.

Don’t store bananas below 56°F until they are ripened. Some grocery stores don’t know this even though it usually says so on the box! If in doubt, tell your grocer to store your bananas in a warm place outside the walk-in cooler when you order them.

To speed up the ripening process keep some of the bananas in a spare cupboard or closet in a warm area. Once they are ripe you can keep them in the refrigerator and they will last for a number of days.

I find citrus tastes best if eaten within 3 days unrefrigerated. Then I store the rest in the refrigerator. Smaller sized oranges (tangerines, minneolas, small navels etc.) are usually tastier than larger navels and are better for juicing. Wholesalers and some grocery stores may carry what is called ‘juicing’ oranges which are blemished. They are often still good quality and are considerably cheaper because they are not suitable for retail.

A case of apples can last 2 weeks unrefrigerated. I don’t normally recommend that people buy lots of apples, but during the winter months apples can be good to have for the sake of variety. Fruitophile families may consume a lot of apples this way.

Cherry tomatoes (which I also like to buy by the case) usually have superior flavor to larger varieties. Tomatoes don’t taste the best after they’ve been refrigerated, so leave them out. Most fruits will ripen more quickly if put in a cupboard or paper bag in a warm location with another ripe fruit such as an apple.

Do it!

There is much more to learn about fruit care and storage, but these tips should be enough to get anyone started in living a sweeter life today! There’s lots of quality fruit out there that wants to be in your life! Find it today!!

If you’re not happy with your local grocery store it’s almost certainly worth the trouble going to a better one a bit further a way once a week. Or finding a good food distributor.

You are in a relationship with your fruit! Like any other important relationship in your life, investing time and care in it will reward you. Having enough of it around and treating it right is going to make an enormous positive impact on your health and quality of life. I kid you not!

Buy enough. Learn to care for your fruit; it will love you back. I promise.