..down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:2

Have you ever had a perfectly ripe mango? Hang on to your seat! It's like your taste buds are being lifted into the heavenly realms, singing with angels of the glories of God's Creation.

Have you ever had a peach, picked fully-ripe from the tree—you bite into its soft flesh, juice drips down your chin, as you try to slurp in all its delicate flavors. Its flesh is living with taste. Delicate yet courageous in its explosion of flavor.

Even the fragrance of freshly ripe fruit is enough to stimulate salivary glands which prepare the mouth to marry with such glorious taste.

The body's reaction to fruit does not stop in the mouth, but continues as the digestive system accepts a flesh, filled with enzymes. These enzymes do almost all the work of digestion for the body, allowing the pancreas a much needed rest. But the best is yet to come!

As the fruit sugars, which are compounded with vitamins and minerals, are carried into the bloodstream, every cell in the body joins in the song of ecstasy. Nowhere in the body does fruit create mucus. A sure sign of how clean and suited the fuel is to our metabolic needs. The fibers that are left behind in the colon are soft and cleansing in nature, leaving the colon fresh as a spring shower.

The Garden of Eden was filled with fruit of all kinds, nourishing Adam and Eve physically and emotionally. We could only imagine the varieties of tastes, colors and aromas that were available for them to explore in that wondrous pure Garden.

Thankfully, across the entire world, there are thousands of varieties of delicate, colorful fruit. From a tiny blueberry in the cold climate of the Northern Hemisphere, to the rich lush tropics producing exotic fruit, God has abundantly blessed us with this wonderful fuel.

It is incredible that North American society has turned to heavy hamburgers and French fries as their mainstay in diet, instead of fruit. But we have paid a bitter price. Fruit is not addictive and does not rise up cravings as does fat, salt, and sugar-filled processed foods. They seem not to dull the inner wounds of the soul as junk food does temporarily. In fact those who live on a high percentage of fresh fruit find themselves becoming sharp in mind and sensitive in emotion. It is almost like living in a state of fasting all the time. Many of us who run away from inner turmoil and pain would find it difficult to live a high fruit diet simply because of the sensitivity it brings.

It would seem as if man would do all he can to numb and dull himself to his own pain and the world around. Escaping to a mucus fog of sleepiness where everything is distant. A perfect place for Satan.

We have been called to be clear-minded and self-controlled so that we can pray. God desires us to be vibrant with His life, body, soul and spirit. Christians ought to be the most alive people on the face of the earth, radiant with His life, pulsating His health and enthusiasm. But we crave the meat pots of Egypt, the defiled food of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

As Daniel lived in a hostile kingdom, we too live in a hostile world. Hostile to everything that is God. But the Lord has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. His table does not result in cancer, heart disease and thousands of other sicknesses as a result of a destructive diet. His table nourishes us with life, health, joy, peace, love, acceptance and mental stability, that we may live in this world as shining lights.

We are not trying to spiritualize a diet high in fruit, but only to encourage a deeper understanding of how much God wants to bless your life. He ministers to the whole man, body, soul, and spirit. Even as this earth is groaning in labor for the return of Christ, there is still so much of His life and beauty upon the world.

Most Christians thank the Lord for their food before eating. They make a connection between the blessing of God and the table set before them. We too make that connection and understand that all things that God created are filled with blessing. But what man has marred and destroyed through selfishness and greed, has become a representation of Satan's twisted kingdom. And so in these later chapters, we would like to reintroduce to you something that is as old as creation itself. God's banquet table of blessing, untouched by man's selfish hand. As you begin to explore his provision for you, it will reinforce, over and over, how much of a Father's heart God has for His children. He loves you beyond imagination.

And so we invite you to come!

 
All-Fruit Diet
An all-fruit diet will provide a benefit similar to juice fasting. Eating a diet exclusively of fruit takes far more discipline and self-control than fasting. I have gone on many fasts but have yet been able to accomplish a lengthy diet of fruit. During fasting, your digestive system shuts down. Psychologically and spiritually you have become resolved not to eat. But an all-fruit diet is very different in that your digestive system is fully active and you are still engaged in eating. For most of us who are accustomed to living on a highly, concentrated diet of meats and starches, fruit can often feel unsatisfying physically because our digestive system is producing large amounts of hydrochloric acid, resulting in a grumbly stomach for the first two or three days of a fruit diet. Also, physiologically, fruit does not give that heavy, full-belly feeling, and cravings can rise powerfully to the surface.

Surprisingly, a fruit diet is lower in calories than juice fasting, hence resulting in a deeper cleansing. Due to the cleansing effect of fruit and reduction of calories, the tongue will become coated, breath, foul and you may experience times of weakness due to the release of toxins.

Because the digestive system is still active, but you have drastically reduced caloric intake, for the first few days, you may experience intense hunger. Hunger is good! Face it with courage. Show Satan who’s in control. But don’t face hunger on your own strength. Keep your mind and your heart focused on Jesus and spend time in prayer. What a glorious joy it is to overcome hunger’s control over your life. That victory will lead you to many others.

In choosing fruit, try to eat melons and non-acid fruits. Too much citrus fruits will increase detoxification. At the start, fruit may cause diarrhea. In time, the body will grow accustomed to the fruit's cleansing properties.

Those who wish to change over to a fruit diet will experience occasional weakness, or possibly even a cleansing crisis. Fruits are high in vitamin C, as well as citric acid, which is a detoxifier. The absence of mucus-forming foods allows the lymph glands a chance to detoxify. Less digestive effort results in more cleansing time. In six months, your body will gladly adjust to a fruit diet which will result in a life of vibrant health and a need for less sleep. If you have the determination to endure, the rewards will be fruitful.

 
Complex Carbohydrates 
What is more nutritious, bread or fruit?  What enters more gradually into the bloodstream, a complex carbohydrate or fruit?

Most of us would answer confidently that fruit enters the bloodstream more quickly because it is a simple sugar. Whereas, complex carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta are gradually digested and broken down into glucose.  This is a misconception.

According to the Blood Glucose Response Table given as a guide to diabetics, bread, beans, white potatoes, brown rice all break down to glucose in the bloodstream more quickly than fruit. White sugar is less of a dramatic shock to the blood sugar level than whole wheat bread.

Fructose, the sugar commonly found in all fruit, is the gentlest to enter the bloodstream, requiring the least amount of insulin.

Complex carbohydrates melt in your mouth into simple sugars because of the digestive enzyme, alpha-amylase present in the saliva. Chewing a slice of whole wheat bread will transform up to 50% of the starch into glucose before it even hits the stomach. Fruit is a better source of fuel than bread because of its ability to sustain energy without overtaxing the pancreas for insulin production. Fructose does not need insulin to break down as it is slowly absorbed through the lower intestinal wall.

The best source of fuel for the body is protected simple sugars found in fruits. Honey, maple syrup and molasses are unprotected sugars because they lack natural fibers to slow down the rate of absorption. Fruit sugar (fructose) is the healthiest alternative when using a processed sweetener. Fruit sugar, locked into the soft fibers of fresh fruit, is the most perfect fuel for the cells. Gentle, slow-releasing, energy-sustaining, compounded with vitamins, minerals, water-soluble proteins, enzymes and trace elements. As the blood carries fructose to every cell, these life-giving elements are compounded with the fructose molecule, allowing the nutrients to be highly absorbable and readily used. Fructose molecules act as a delivery system to your cells.

The Complex Carbohydrates Breakdown Chart shows that all starch is composed of long chains of sugar molecules. Through digestion, these chains are broken down into simple sugars. Fruit, bread, potatoes, rice, and beans are reduced to glucose. To the body, white sugar and white flour are the same fuel. Of these foods, fruit requires the least digestion to supply the body’s need for glucose fuel.

North American’s love cooked starch. From muffins to macaroni, starch is the biggest part of our diet. Yams, turnip, corn, beans, peas, potatoes all taste better when cooked, yet there is a change in how these foods digest. Raw corn is high in natural, health-giving oil and starch. However, when cooked it alters and becomes mucus-forming. Raw potatoes can be used in the healing of stomach ulcers, yet through cooking they lose this healing property, becoming mucus-forming. The immune system increases the production of white blood cells, reacting as if an intruder had entered the blood.

Cooked, starchy food requires strong acids to digest. Excess acid in the blood has a negative effect on the immune system, healing and creating a sluggish metabolism.

Wait till you experience our healthy alternatives. They will blow your taste buds off and work in perfect harmony with the body God has given you.

Click here for great fruit recipes:  Fruit Recipes