Killer Fruit

I love the applesauce blends that have splenda in them. They have mango/orange/apple, blueberry/apple, strawberry/apple. I get the 6 pack at wal-mart for $1.50. I buy several at a time, my daughter takes her meds mixed in applesauce too so it gets used a ton around here. ~Mandy

How do the pre-packaged manderin oranges do?

Applesauce and bananas are two of about three foods that hurt me going down. I can eat them, but it's very uncomfortable.

I haven't tried peels yet because I just don't like them. But it seems weird to me that peels would cause a problem (especially thinner peels, like grapes or tomatoes) while most people can do lettuce and spinach just fine. Those are two other foods where, no matter how much you feel like you've chewed, you really are only mashing. Unless you're sticking near the hearts.

If you guys want your fruits, and want the benefits of the peels, but are having a hard time eating them -- think about getting a juicer. You can juice the entire fruit, so you get the exact same nutrients as if you had just eaten it, but in an easy liquid form. Hubby is fond of carrot + pineaplle juice. I prefer watermelon + red grapes + kiwi. Just be careful of your portions. It's easy to drink a small glass of juice without even realizing how many pieces of fruit you just consumed.

I do ok with them, but have to eat them one at a time. I keep a can of them in the fridge, I share them with my 5 year old dd. I have a weirdo dog that LOVES the juice from the oranges. Also try them frozen, they are a great little treat and make a good cool summer snack. ~Mandy

Mandy, Thanks for the tip, I had heard of grapes being frozen, bet grapes are easier to peel when frozen?????

I freeze all kinds of fruit. I also freeze fruit juice to make smoothies. Just make sure you split the grapes in half before freezing, if not they explode. ~Mandy

LOL!!!! Do we know this via experience??? ;o))))))))))

yep, my daughter had her tonsils out and she hates fake Popsicles, so I froze several fruits for her to eat for the post-op days when anything warm or solid would be hard for her. I had frozen grapes, applesauce pops, frozen peaches (we made smoothies with these) frozen cherry puree. When I went in the get the multi-colored frozen grapes, I discovered a huge mess, grape pieces everywhere, they looked like a grenade had been thrown in the bowl with them. Thank God I had them covered, I think the juice would have gone everywhere. They didn't look very appealing that way either. I have since learned that cutting them in half makes them freeze faster, and keeps them from exploding. I have also been know to be lazy and just poke a hole in the skins. My daughter loves frozen fruit, and it's better than all the processed refined sugar you get in Popsicles. I also love to blend strawberries, peaches and a touch of cream and them pour into small dishes, then freeze. You can also freeze the fruit in ice cube trays (I like to bland almost smooth in the blender first) then add equal parts of each in the blender, add some cream or vanilla protein shake in the blender and puree, makes a great version of soft serve/smoothie. We also scoop melons with an ice cream scoop and freeze, they are a great summer dessert and the sugar is all natural. I try to avoid processed refined sugar as much as possible. My husband loves frozen kiwi, but I think it makes it taste weird. I have frozen just about every kind of fruit, with really great success. I have also been able to recreate most of the smoothies at jamba juice with ease. There are some great fruit/smoothie recipe books out there. And you can almost always hide carrots in a smoothie. ;) ~Mandy

....I LOVE apples....BUT have found they are troublemakers....

The best way I've discovered for ME to eat them (unpeeled) is to slice them into 1/4" slices and NIBBLE slowly on a slice....taking maybe 5 minutes!!! This way I don't get stuck....and it takes about 30 minutes to eat the apple...

strangely, by then I usually am NOT hungry....most often 1/2 a SMALL apple is plenty....

Bananas must go slow and carefully to, or they are a large lump sitting on my heart.....

I've only had a few oranges....tricky and fraught with peril.....my old favorite grapefruit has been to onerous for me to attempt...even now...

Jack, try peeling the grapfruit and then open each slice, eating only the inside. If I don't eat the membrane that holds the slices together I can eat about 1/2 a small grapefruit without any trouble. My favorite are the ruby reds. Same with blood oranges, I eat only the fruit and avoid the membranes. ~Mandy

This cracked me up and sums up my suggestion as well. Me too...been there, done that with apples! The meat of the apple is OK for me, but those darn peels are the devil. Which is a shame because don't they contain a lot of nutrition? Anyway, most fruits seem OK for me without the peel or skin.

Also,
If you do oranges or especialy grapefruit make sure you peel off that white membrane stuff. My surgeon said that would be really hard of you. Just thought you ought to know. Good luck.

What about peaches, nectarines? Do they need to be "peeled?"

I can give up apples heh. Not a big fan of them anyway. But I do enjoy a peach.

I peel peaches. Blanch them, drop them in boiling water for a few seconds then into ice water, the peels will wipe off if you "dry" them with a paper towel. I slice nectarines and then peel the slices as I eat them. I love peaches, and eat them all summer. I grew up in the south and my grandparents had several peach trees in the back yard, so they are a staple for me. ~Mandy

Interestingly peaches do not cause any trouble for me.

We all seem to have similar yet different issues with fruit so unfortunately I think we need to try things out for ourselves to see what works with our own bands---keeping in mind that we should go slowly just in case!!