"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana"- Groucho Marx

Day 11:
Having my carbs limited to only 100g a day (except on my intermittent fast day--50g) has really forced me to research exactly what my food brings to the table.  I was under the impression that all fruit has to be good for you, no matter what.  It's from mother nature right? No, I am finally starting to realize that sugar is sugar is sugar.  Well, except fake sugar...that is a totally other beast, which I'll get into on another day.  The point is:
               Fruit = fructose = sugar = carbohydrates = The Devil.
Wait...that last one isn't right. Carbs are not the devil.  They are just slightly wicked and need constant surveillance.

Over the last few days, I've researched the amount of carbohydrates in my fruit.  The Primal Challenge recommends berries, but there has to be more than that, right? In short, yes! Sadly, there are also a few of my favorite fruits that are on the naughty list. 

A nutritionist once told me that bananas, although delicious, are the "fat fruit."  They are high in calories (105kcal), carbs (27g), sugar (14g), and relatively low in fiber (3g) and protein (1g).  One medium banana is 27% of my daily intake of carbs!!! Talk about fat fruit.  An occasional banana is allowed but there are better options. Most people (including me) think the banana is a great source of potassium. In reality, it is only a moderate source at 560mg.  A better and lower carb/sugar option is:

• 1 cup of spinach--840mg of potassium and 1g of carbs/0g sugar

My other, go-to fruit was the mango.  I ate mango salsa, mango smoothies, raw mango.  I love it.  Unfortunately, it is now on my "only on a very special occasions when I only want to eat one thing for a third of my day" list. A mango has whopping 35g of carbs and 24g of sugar!! Just to put that in perspective, that's 7g of carbs and 2g of sugar more than a mint Klondike bar (an overtime treat at the firehouse).  Not that I'm going to eat a bar, but it blows my mind to think a piece of fruit has more sugar and carbs than an ice cream treat. 

To simplify my life, I have a handy dandy chart: