What's better between... in your opinion?

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Permalink Reply by PK on August 1, 2012 at 7:40am

@Fluffy White Rabbit,

This might be a long one...

Now we do not want anyone starving, and if having a fruit emergency, then we recommend eating cooked vegan and or starches.  

However, these are not optimum foods, and there are several problems with starch based diets with little fruit and lettuce greens.  There are actually many problems, but I will address some major issues here. 

Lack of Vitamin C

Primates and humans cannot manufacture vitamin C and must get it form fruits and greens.  Without vitamin C, Scurvy causes fatigue, inflammation of the gums, small red or purple spots on the skin, joint pain, poor wound healing, and corkscrew hairs. Additional signs of scurvy include depression as well as swollen, bleeding gums and loosening or loss of teeth. People with scurvy can also develop anemia. Scurvy is fatal if it is not treated. (Ref V C QuickFacts)

Many people may have subclinical signs of scurvy and or misdiagnosed scurvy. 

Starch and grain based diets have no vitamin C at all in some cases, and are not optimum foods for humans.  The starches that have a little such as potatoes may be toxic in their raw form.  To render the toxins more edible, oxymoron I know, these products have to be cooked.  The vitamin C content of food may be reduced by prolonged storage and by cooking. (Ref V C QuickFacts)

Insoluble Fiber vs Soluble Fiber

The soluble fiber in fruit and some vegetables may gel up inside the intestine. This fiber slows down digestion and regulates assimilation of nutrients as well as water absorption.
Diets high in animal products may have little or no fiber, and diets high in grain products that have insoluble fiber actually may scrape and irritate the intestines like shards of glass and do not digest well. Some people who eat a high grain diet suffer from Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, IBS, ulcerative colitis, and other gluten related sensitivities and degenerative conditions.  http://gluten-free.org/hoggan/
Fruits are high in soluble fiber which also causes easy elimination of feces just like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. This soluble fiber attracts water and turns to gel in the intestines.

(Ref Soluble vs insoluble fiber, soluble and insoluble fiber)

High insulin levels and or high glucose levels

Other problems with starch based foods is that the starches are complex carbohydrates require extra work for the body to break down into glucose.  The body mostly makes glucose from starches, and this can lead to chronic blood sugar issues.  The body uses insulin to transport glucose into cells.  Now in non diabetic individuals, the blood sugars may stay stable, but the individual may still suffer from hyperinsulinemia or hyperinsulinism from the chronic input of high glucose.  Symptoms include hypoglycemia, double vision, blurry vision, fast or pounding heartbeat, feeling crnky or acting aggressive, feeling nervous, headache, hunger, shaking or trembling, sweating, tingling or numbness of skin, tiredness or weakness, unclear thinking, and in rare cases, fainting, seizure, and coma. (Ref hyperinsulinemia hypoglycemia hypoglycemia)

Fruits contain simple sugars such as fructose that do not stimulate insulin release from the pancreas thus leading to stable blood sugar and insulin levels.  The body also has less work to do in digestion as the sugars are already simple and need no breaking down.  Fructose can also be broken down in the liver into several different metabolites the body might need.  

http://www.ajcn.org/content/76/5/911.full (Discusses digestion process of fructose and how insulin is not used.  Author does use some speculation, but science is there.)

Importance of lettuce greens

One of the first noticeable signs of lack of greens in the diet are dental sensitivities.  These are sensitivities that have ruled out the possibility of external tooth and internal tooth decay as well as practicing good oral hygiene habits.  Other problems may involve low bone density, osteoporosis, and internal tooth decay.  

Reasons to eat greens include:

1. Higher Overall Mineral Content of Greens
2. Calcium Phosphorus Ratio 1:1 
3. Chlorophyll and Magnesium
4. Cobalt and Vitamin b12 Precurser
5. Green Consumption in Primates
6. Prevention and Healing with Diet 
7. Oral Health

Read more:  30BaD FADs: Importance of Lettuce Greens

 

So in conclusion, to answer your question, 

Eating a diet of low fat raw fruits and leafy greens is better over all, even if not organic.  Raw foods keep their nutrient content intact better than cooked foods.  Lettuce greens help promote bone and oral health.  

Organic or not, there really is no place in our diet for grains and starches, and there is no such thing as a grain deficiency.  Many tribal peoples live thousands of years without them, and may have been healthier than us.  

Peace, PK

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Permalink Reply by Carla Valdivia Salinas on August 1, 2012 at 8:40am

I think non organic hcrv...because you can wash everything or, in rough case, peel it. :)

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