list of culinary fruits for Wai Diet

[russelleaton]

Here is a comprehensive list of culinary fruits, in line with the Wai diet. They are low in fiber and can all be peeled, although you may think twice about peeling organic tomatillos, tomatoes and sweet peppers. A great mixed 'salad' can be made using any of these items (plus, of course, a delicious olive oil salad dressing). If you sprinkle nuts or seeds on the salad you virtually have a complete meal.
Russell Eaton

Avocado (Persea americana)
Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum)
Bitter melon/Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia)
Chayote (Sechium edule)
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Ivy Gourd (Coccinia grandis)
Eggplant/Aubergine/Brinjal (Solanum melongena)
Luffa (Luffa cylindrica)
Olive fruit (Olea europaea)
Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.)
Squash (Cucurbita spp.)
Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum Grossum group)
Tinda (Praecitrullus fistulosus)
Tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica)
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var)
Vanilla (Vanilla spp.)
West Indian gherkin (Cucumis anguria)
Winter melon (Benincasa hispida)
Zucchini/Courgette (Cucurbita pepo)

[RRM]

hmmm, most of these are relatively high in anti-nutrients,
so that they are not so friendly to your digestive system,
and not so good for optimal nutrient intake.
Many of these need cooking for proper digestion.

[russelleaton]

As far as I know this list of culinary fruits can all be eaten raw (but I am happy to stand corrected). For example all kinds of squash and pumpkins can certainly be eaten raw and are highly nutritious. Here is a recipe I found for a squash smoothie (but non-Wei): http://www.greenthickies.com/raw-spiced ... h-smoothie.
Ivy gourd is delicious if eaten raw soon after picking. Or it can be lightly cooked so as to soften. Lightly cooking some of these culinary fruits will not overwhelm you with HCA's because they are not high in amino acids or nitrate. When it comes to fruit and vegetables, HCA's are produced as a result of cooking anything high in protein (amino acids) AND nitrate. In other words you want to avoid cooking in general, buy you particularly want to avoid cooking high proteinous foods such as meat and fish.
Tinda tastes a little like a cross between a pear and a cucumber and can certainly be eaten raw although in India it is usually cooked. Raw chayote tastes a bit like summer squash and may be added to salads or salsas, most often marinated with lemon or lime juice; it's a good source of amino acids so ideally should not be cooked.
As mentioned, all the items in this list can readily be eaten raw. Also, any culinary fruit can be blended if it is a little tough. Let us remember that HCA's from fruit and vegetables come about when proteins and nitrate get mixed together as a result of heating. Vegetables (and particularly root vegetables) are high in nitrates but not so high in proteins; nevertheless when heated you can indeed get harmful HCA's. But all fruits are low in nitrates and proteins, so when heated will produce very few harmful HCA's (if any). We should not be afraid to occasionally mildly cook or warm up certain culinary fruits such as aubergine or courgettes to make them more palatable (and to fully benefit from their super nutrition).
Hope this helps those wishing to follow the Wai diet.

[RRM]

As far as I know this list of culinary fruits can all be eaten raw

Sure, you can eat them raw.
You can also eat grass raw.
Or kale, cauliflower etc.
But that does not mean its digested well.
The Wai diet is not just about eating raw,
its about the optimal diet: foods containing the least anti-nutrients.
Most foods listed above are too high in anti-nutrients to be considered optimal foods.

For example all kinds of squash and pumpkins can certainly be eaten raw and are highly nutritious.

Sure, but also highly anti-nutritious.
Just listen to your taste buds. Raw squash tastes like mud.

Lightly cooking some of these culinary fruits

Here at Wai we dont do lightly cooking.

you particularly want to avoid cooking high proteinous foods such as meat and fish.

True, they are the worst.
But that makes your "culinary fruits" 'munch foods'.

Also, any culinary fruit can be blended if it is a little tough.

If you need to blend it because its unpleasant to eat, its not a good food for you.

Let us remember that HCA's from fruit and vegetables come about when proteins and nitrate get mixed together as a result of heating.

Let us remember acrylamide.

We should not be afraid to occasionally mildly cook or warm up certain culinary fruits

This is the Wai diet.
The optimal diet.
Not the sub-optimal diet.

[russelleaton]

Goodness, I don't want to enter into any arguments. I would just say that eating any of these culinary fruits in their raw state will not provide significant anitnutrients, but will provide nutritional variety. I am not suggesting they should be staples, but they can and should be eaten occasionally for the sake of good health. The consensus from experts is that our remote ancestors evolved on a varied diet of fruit, berries, nuts, seeds, and sweet-tasting flowers and herbs, plus no doubt some vegetable roots and a variety of insects (with occasional meat and fish and perhaps birds eggs). We must have variety in our diet, and occasional consumption of culinary fruits from the list I have provided will help to provide nutritional variety. Your comments RRM are much appreciated, I know you mean well.

[RRM]

they can and should be eaten occasionally for the sake of good health.

Really?
What nutrients exactly do we need from those 'culinary fruits' that are not in sweet fruits such as mango and orange?

The consensus from experts is that our remote ancestors evolved on...

There is no consensus about that.
In as much as there is no consensus about what causes osteoporosis or dementia, for example.
There are data that may be interpret in various ways.
Consensus is far away.

[Iris]

I am not suggesting they should be staples, but they can and should be eaten occasionally for the sake of good health.

What you say here in my opinion says it all. They should not be eaten in large amounts, thus large amounts may be harmful. So how could smaller amounts all of a sudden be healthy, let alone necessary?
Variety isn't that important. On this diet, when you do it right, you'll get plenty of nutrients anyway