What Fruit Should I Eat, And When Should I Eat It?

Clients often ask about fruit. "Which fruits are OK on the Paleo Diet?"  "Can I eat bananas?"  "How many pieces of fruit should I eat each day?"/

There are no generic answers.  The broad rule is "ALL FRESH FRUIT CAN BE A PART OF THE PALEO DIET".

It is important, however, to become familiar with the different benefits, as well as potential negatives, that various fruits offer.

• In and around endurance training, a good type of fruit to select is one which is higher on the Glycemic Index chart, like a banana.  You'd want to be partial to those fruits with a higher fructose and lower fiber content while exercising.
• If we're talking about snacks or meals during the day NOT in preparation or recovery from workouts, you'd want to optimize for the opposite- fruits higher in fiber and lower in sugar, like berries.
• Generally speaking, try to focus more on COPIOUS amounts of a variety of fresh, mostly GREEN veggies, rather than fruit.  I've heard many a time commentary about 'fruit being 'easier' to eat than veggies', resulting in clients eating double or triple the amount of fruit than veggies on any given day.  THINK BALANCE- and THINK GREEN!
• Regarding naturally dried fruit- a small amount is indicated in moderation for athletes, post workout as part of their recovery regime (raisins, for example, are extremely alkaline, so in addition to providing some quick sugar, which the body needs after an endurance training session, they also help bring the body's pH back to alkaline, where it would likely have become acidic during training).
• Caveat- if you're following the Paleo ACNE diet, you should nix dried fruit completely.

Keep it balance, keep it colorful and keep it varied… and you won't go wrong!