The natural sugars and refreshing quality of fruit make it a wonderful substitute for food containing refined or chemical sweeteners. Even sour fruits such as the grapefruit and lemon balance the need for the sweet favor according to the Five Elements “Control Cycle.” Fruit also contains valuable minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and fiber.
Important information about the fruit:
- Fruit should be tree- or vine-ripened.
The ripe- picked fruit is likewise more nutritious, although its use is not essential in short fasts or when fruit is a small percentage of the diet. When unripe fruit is purchased, it should be allowed to ripen at room temperature before eating. An exception is the intentional use of certain unripe fruit for its medicinal effect. - The majority of very popular fruits such as oranges, apples, and bananas are heavily sprayed to the point where their value is undermined. Even though sprays and chemical fertilizer are not put inside the fruit, they eventually work their way through the whole plant influencing its growth and overall quality. With a little effort, fruit grown without chemicals can usually be obtained.
- Fruit is easily digested and can offer a pleasant break from foods that take more effort to prepare and digest. In addition, most fruit is cleansing, and cooling and thus balances the overuse of rich foods, particularly those containing concentrate protein.
- lf the sweet and refreshing quality of fruit is strongly craved, it is usually best to satisfy the craving with an exclusively fruit meal or snack. Otherwise one may overeat heavier foods in a failed attempt to get the refreshing, cleansing quality offered by fruit.
- Fruit is also a remedy for people who are stressed or over-heated from mental pressure, excessive physical activity, or a hot climate. The alkaline element in fruit combined with its acids stimulates the liver and pancreas, giving a natural laxative effect. In contrast, certain fruit including blackberries, sour plum, and pineapple can treat diarrhea.
- It is easier to adapt the fresh local fruit in season than to fruit from far away.
Fruit doesn’t mix well with other foods according to simple food-combining principles.
Drinking juice and fruit all day long between meals is invariably weakening. Observe infant who drink apple juice most of the day—they often loose their appetite and become irritable and weak.
For best results, fruit juices should be drunk at least four hours after and one hour before a meal.
When fruit are juiced, their cooling and cleansing properties are concentrated. The juice is cleansing and/eliminating part of fruit; the relatively more building and warming parts are the rinds, skins, peels, pulpy sections, as well seeds of fruit like papaya, watermelon, and other melons. Eat some of all part for greater stamina. Heating juices or cooking fruit makes it less cooling.
General dosage: For chronic conditions that require the properties of fruit, the fruit meal is also superior. For example, as a remedy for rheumatic-induced numbness, a bowl of cherries for one daily meal can be eaten four or more times a week. If only very small amounts of fruit can be tolerated, the fruit snack is a better choice. For acute situations, Fruit can be used more often and according to need. For example, to protect against summer heat (the effect of a very hot climate on the body), watermelon, apple, or lemon juice maybe consumed as often as necessary. For relief of dysentery, figs may be eaten several times a day.
- Most summer and tropical fruits are cooling and refreshing. When eaten in winter, they may cause coldness and weakness, unless eaten by people with excess heat signs. Fall fruits that store, such as apples and dried fruit are more suited to the winter.
- If sweet fruit is used as a major part of the diet tor a long time, its moistening quality, which can promote yeast overgrowth and other forms of dampness, is best offset by periodic non-fruit fasts which have drying effect. The sour fruits have a contractive astringent property, which also balances the sweet varieties.
- Raw fruit must be used carefully, if at all, by individuals who are weakened with cold and/or deficient conditions, although moderate amounts of dried or cooked fruit are usually acceptable in these cases.
