Annual carb re-feed of fruit? What do you think?

(Aimee Moisa) #1

Disclaimer: I am not considering doing a carb re-feed or carb up or whatever you want to call it. I just want to start a discussion about something interesting I keep thinking about.

So, our ancestors only had lots of sugary carbs in their diets once a year for a few months. Those in more temperate climates had fruit for longer than that, but the one consensus we can probably all come to is that while we were evolving our big glucose-hungry brain we weren’t getting fructose for the whole year long, just part of it. Hence why we need keto.

What if, as with our circadian rhythm needing sleep every night and a woman’s “normal” cycle coming close to matching the lunar cycle, we also evolved an annual rhythm and when spring turns to summer we’re supposed to eat fruit? What if, if we could get our metabolisms completely healed, it turns out that for optimal health we’re supposed to sit under a peach tree and stuff ourselves on peaches all June long, getting drunk on half-rotten peaches.

That’s what I’d do, I’d stuff myself on peaches. :slight_smile:

What do you all think? Is there any evidence anyone has that this might be possible?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

It makes sense, especially in climates where food is harder to find during the winter. You would bulk up and have extra fat stored away so as to be able to fast more while waiting for spring.

(Aimee Moisa) #3

I am glad that your logical brain sees the same thing I see.

If things go well for me on keto I will consider a peach&strawberry refeed next May/June. My county has some of the best peaches and strawberries in the world. Just one day, though, or maybe one day a week for two to three weeks. I dont think longer would be safe.

(Marta Loftfield) #4

Fruits our ancestors ate were no where near as sweet as commercial fruits.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #5

You can eat raspberries, strawberries, & other fruits as much as you like as long as they fit your carb count for the day. I lost a lot of weight last summer during our raspberry season, because I was eating those and then fasting. And they fit into my carbs for the day when I wasn’t fasting.

The only caveat is: do those fruits bring on binge eating for you. They do not for me, sugar isn’t one of my major food groups :). Now if I tried to carb up on seasonal corn, it would have been a totally different story. I’d would have fallen off the keto/lchf train completely with fresh corn.

I have eaten half an apple or a half of a pear a couple of times last winter, but they fit in my carbs for the day. YMMV.

(Doug) #6

Sounds like wishful-thinking to me.

If one is not insulin-resistant or obese, then chowing down on a bunch of fruit a few times per year, versus all the time, sounds good to me. But just to do it - unless one is so lean and facing such a dearth of food in the coming winter or other season that there’s a demonstrable need to pack on extra weight now, then I don’t think so.

(CharleyD) #7

Yes, when there’s a definite ‘Winter’ coming, it is wise to enhance fat stores using fruit, honey, starches at the end of Summer.

In this day and age, Winter never comes since we have fruit and other seasonal produce year-round, so I’m unconvinced that it would help our metabolisms in general to introduce them even annually. Most of us have plenty of fat to pull from that there’s no benefit to add to it.

Now if you have a particular glycolytic activity you have in mind you want to take some carbs prior to, there may be an argument there.

#8

You know you can eat berries now right?

(What The Fast?!) #9

Were you eating only those, then fasting? Or just including it in your feasting days? Also, I’m curious - on feasting days, how many calories do you go over your typical intake? And are they from protein, fat, or both?

(Aimee Moisa) #10

Not right now, too soon, too sweet, too tempting. But I know they generally fit into keto macros, just not going to until later when I am less new to this WOE.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #11

I was eating the berries when I was on a feasting days. Since they came from our garden, I had to share with DH so I was getting from a half cup to a cup of raspberries when I ate them. And I was putting commercial whipped cream on them too. Again, sugar isn’t a trigger food for me, so the small bit of sugar from that did not make me go crazy eating carbs.

I have stopped tracking food but last summer I was still doing it off and on because I started maintenance, there was no big difference in my days right after fasting from my normal eating days. Probably no more than like 200 calories more on any given day, and other days just naturally eating slightly less so I think it all balances out in the end. When the temps are high my appetite is just lower, has always been that way.

Oh and I just realized I lost the weight summer before last, last summer I was doing the same thing and maintaining. I hit my goal weight last year right before summer kicked in, sorry to give the wrong impression. But it is good to realize I could lose on the berries or I can maintain. The crop is just starting to come in and I will be eating berries regularly for a few weeks now.