5 Fruits I eat to be a better cyclist that are actually bad for me.

Thanks to the Coviddy Show, the internet abounds with truths, half-truths, and downright lies. Even an innocent question attracts the barbs of tin foil hatism, ( there I just made up an "ism") because these days anything goes.

It was during one of these moments of "doing your own research" on the internet, that I came across the idea that good food like fruits can be bad for you, not entirely bad, but not entirely good either, I like to think of my diet here on Gran Canaria as pretty good, I do my own cooking and for cycling, there's a natural bent for food that's good for cycling and not having a microwave, means you don't buy processed food and you sling it rather than reheat it.

Fruits here are unusual in that, we have many exotic fruits, that are hard to come by back in the world, but here are business crops or just grow in people's gardens, so there's an abundance of some for all.

So to start with, and there are a few shockers here.

Number 1 Bananas.

Bananas here are nearly always ripe and therefore contain up to 16% sugar because unfortunately for ripe banana lovers, the healthy starches found in unripe bananas, which actually act more like fiber than carbohydrates, turn into sugar as a banana ripens. In the process, the banana becomes more and more sugary.  

Try less ripe bananas for more probiotic bacteria, a friendly bacterium that helps with good colon health or apples or grapefruit, In addition, green bananas also help you absorb nutrients better particularly calcium.

I'd still, believe me, eat a banana no matter what because when you cycle here, it's always hard and that sugar will be burnt off quickly, but I'm going to be choosy!

Number 2 Mangos

I'm almost glad to see that here, as I have a friend who has a mango plantation here and although grateful, I'm sick of frozen mangos, as they all come ready at the same time so I have to freeze them. Because like mangoes have a larger percentage of sugar than other fruit, which is why they taste so sweet. One cup of mango contains 100 calories and 23 grams of sugar! With all of the fruits available that have lower sugar content, you may want to stay away from mango, especially if you're trying to lose weight. That ain't me, but I'd be wary of the quantity of sugar in mangos.

Number 3 Cherries.

Cherries, like mangos, come at once here, they're imported and are usually expensive, now and again, the price becomes palatable and maybe where you live, you can pull them off the hedgerows. But like you, I suspect, once you do get them due to their small size, cherries are also easy to scarf down by the dozen. But, like mangoes and grapes, cherries contain a higher sugar content than many other fruits. One cup of cherries contains up 17.7 grams of sugar. This makes them a poor fruit choice for diabetics and dieters. So I'm saved by the scarcity of them here, but I do like them cold from the fridge.

Number 4 Oranges.

Again I'm dismayed because we have many orange orchards and I do manage to get hold of crates of them which I squeeze all at once and chill for the lovely cold orange juice at breakfast. They make the bad boy list because oranges are so acidic that they can do some serious damage to your teeth. Oranges — and orange juice — have been linked to not just decreasing the hardness of tooth enamel, but of eroding teeth so much that the enamel becomes roughened and more likely to erode even further.

The damage from oranges is similar to the damage done by sugary sodas, and you've probably heard plenty about just how bad those can be. Dentists advise if you have to drink orange juice, you should use a straw to keep your teeth safe. 

Number 5 Limes.

Now this made me wary because I have my own lime here and have already harvested and squeezed a few for drinks. Limes on the surface, limes are good for you. They're full of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants but as I found come with a few caveats. Itchy rashes and second-degree burns to start with!

Limes contain a chemical called furocoumarin, which reacts with sunlight. When it does, it gets absorbed into your skin, and the result is some pretty uncomfortable burns, blisters, and dark patches that could take months to heal and disappear. Skin damage, no matter where it comes from, is never, ever cool. 

Thankfully next to my Lime tree, I have an aloe vera plant which is the wonder plant. So what do you think, I did say not entirely bad, it's not as if we did not know, but I guess with the boom and bust of some fruits here like bananas, mangos and oranges, I'm literally having a smoothie now of bananas and mangoes as I have to make room in the freezer for meat, but that's the next blog!

Peace out, brothers and sisters of the cog.