It sounds as if I might have got a yet to ripen durian. Strange since I tasted it at a fruit stall in northern thailand, not to far away from where the trees grow. The center of the fruit meat was indeed a bit more crispy than ripe persimmon.
I do know though that walking around in a durian grove at harvesttime is an experience remembered with more than one sence.

GC,

Does durian have any similarity in taste or odor with the jackfruit?

Not in my opinion. They are very similar in color, size, and form. They are related fruits. However, the durian is softer fleshed, whereas jackfruit is more crispy. Durian has a higher fat content--which is probably why I really like it. Outside of the avocado, it's probably the fattiest fruit I know. Jackfruit is more like a fruit version of cabbage. It is sweet, with a unique flavor, but not so fatty.

By the way, when I said durian is soft like a persimmon, I did not mean to speak of the kind of persimmon that is practically just water when it's overripe. I guess I was trying to find a fruit to compare it with, but the orange flesh of a ripe squash might be a better example. Persimmon and squash are both fibrous, and so is durian. Durian is not juicy--if it is, it's overripe (as in almost spoiled). It's soft more like butter--fatty type of soft.

Jackfruit is not odoriferous. Durian has its odor because of its higher sulfur content. Like garlic and onion, durian has a certain amount of sulfur, and this is what makes its characteristic odor. It may be difficult to imagine a fruit high in sulfur. All I can say is, when I taste durian, I don't notice the sulfur--it just tastes GOOD!

Probably one of the nearest equivalents to durian overall would be cheese. Cheese has an odor. But most people like the flavor. Cheese is fatty and the more it is "aged," the more sulfur it contains. I don't eat cheese anymore...and don't care for it. But cheese never tasted so pleasantly rich and sweet as durian.

Here's a link to a website which gives some interesting health benefits of durian: http://www.healthy-communications.com/durianbenefits.htm

Now...we've been off topic for a few posts here...but this may help to get back on track--sulfur is known to help the body in detoxification. Would it be at all beneficial in purging things like caffeine from the body? I wonder if durian could help people kick the caffeine addiction.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Durian ice cream, that is another novelty for me which I found I can live without.

How Caffeine Works....

Caffeine, as well as nicotine and alcohol stimulate the adrenal glands, which push blood sugar out of the liver and muscles and into the bloodstream, according to Robert J. Rogers, MD, from Melbourne, Florida. "This sudden burst of blood sugar triggers the pancreas to release too much insulin, and blood sugar drops."

"The quick rise in blood sugar is where the kick of coffee and cigarettes and the euphoria of liquor comes from. But the lift is temporary. When blood sugar plummets, the only way most people can get on top of things again is to smoke another cigatette, and have another cup of coffee or swig another drink." --Prevention, April, 1979.

Suzanne

More Bad News for Coffee Lovers!

These statements are taken from various Prevention magazines, unless otherwise noted. Some may be repetition.

* Giving up coffee is harder than stopping smoking.

* Those drinking 6 cups or more of coffee daily are 2 times more likely to die from coronary heart disease.

* Tannins found in tea and coffee may reduce the body's agility to absorb nutrients from food, throwing even a balanced diet out of whack.

* Study: Heavy coffee drinking linked to high cholesterol. Should limit both de-caf and regular coffee.

* Coffee can irritate the lining of the bladder.

* Adele Davis, writing in Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit: "Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have produced multiple B-vitamin deficiencies merely by feeding animals coffee. Heavy coffee drinkers almost invariably show symptoms of B-vitamin deficiencies, even when the diet is excellent. I strongly suspect drinking large amounts of coffee is one factor contributing to graying of the hair and perhaps to baldness."

Adele Davis continues with this statement. "Almost everything learned about positive health has first been found in experimental animals and its counterpart later recognized in humans. I know of no exceptions."

* Coffee can hike blood pressure 10 points and can cause a stroke in middle-aged men with high blood pressure.

* Our coffee-soaked, junk food diet is wreaking havoc with our health.

* Coffee burns up the B-vitamins and scalds the nerves.

* Coffee is a diuretic, robbing the body of minerals.

* Excess coffee can cause the pins and needle sensation in hands and feet. This can be cured by vitamin B-1, (thiamine).

* Coffee destroys thiamine. Chlorogenic acid is the culprit, not caffeine. Chlorogenic acid is also found in de-caf.

* Coffee masks fatigue; depletes the B-vitamins, especially biotin and inositol; causes nervousness, twitching, irregular heart beat--all symptoms similar to insufficient B-vitamins. --Let's Live.

* Some are so sensitive that one cup of coffee in the morning can lead to a wakeful night. --Bestways.

* Coffee is implicated in bladder cancer. Very few bladder cancer patients drink little or no coffee.

* Coffee may be the number 1 drug problem in the North America.

* Tic douloureux pain gone when gave up coffee.

* Caffeine makes you store fat. --Trainer on Dr. Phil.

Suzanne

References for: More Bad News for Coffee Lovers

Here are the references that should have accompanied my last post.

* Giving up coffee is harder than stopping smoking. --Prevention, Oct. 1987.

* Data from the Chicago Western Electric Company, which followed over 1,890 men for 30 years, shows that men who drink more than 6 cups of coffee a day were almost twice as likely to die of coronary heart disease than others. This was even true of heavy coffee drinkers who did not smoke. A surprising finding since nonsmokers are generally thought to be at low risk for heart disease. --American Journal of Epidemiology, Nov. 1987.

* Tannins in coffee and tea can play mean games with vitamins and minerals. "Tannins at mealtime may reduce your body's ability to absorb nutrients from the food, throwing even a balanced diet out of whack," says nutritionist Liz Applegate, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis. --Prevention, July 1988.

* Some research has found an association between coffee drinking and cholesterol levels in the blood. One Finnish study of over 12,000 people, showed an association between heavy coffee consumption and high blood-cholesterol levels. In those aged 45 to 64, the highest cholesterol levels were found in those drinking 4 to 6 cups of coffee a day. --Ibid.

* Coffee can irritate the lining of the bladder. --Prevention, August 1993, Response to a health survey.

* Caffeine can hike blood pressure as much as 10 points, boosting the risk of a heart attack and stroke, according to James Lane, PhD, associate research professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University in Durham, NC. --Prevention, July 2000.

* Coffee burns up the B-vitamins and scalds the nerves. Swiss researchers found that chlorogenic acid found in de-caf as well as regular coffee destroys thiamin (B-1). A deficiency of this nutrient can cause nervousness, irritability, fatigue, depression, and feeling of inadquancy. --International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research, vol. 46, 1976; Federation Proceedings, March 1, 1976.

* August F. Daro, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, Illinois, writes in the May, 1976, Internation Surgery, that coffee robs the body of vital minerals.... --Prevention, Feb. 1977.

* Michael Lesser, MD, writing in Prevention, March 1977, notes that lots of coffee can cause pins and needles sensations in hands and feet. This is the result of a thiamin (B-1) deficiency caused by excess coffee.

And on and on it goes. Yes, there are various studies out there that try to show that coffee is the new health food. Indeed, think about it...so many folk in this country, including many SDAs cannot begin the day without their cup of Joe, and are drinking record numbers of cups of the stuff. Yet North Americans are suffering from more and various maladies, etc. Humm...sorry folks, you have to look beyond coffee for the nutrients involved in healthful living.

"The continued use of these nerve irritants (tea and coffee) is followed by headache, wakefulness, palpitation of the heart, indigestion, trembling, and many other evils; for they wear away the life forces. Tired nerves need rest and quiet instead of stimulation and overwork.... Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 326.

Suzanne

Coffee: Destructive to Hair and Nerves

Is it just me or do others notice the fact that many, many of our young men are totally bald or are losing their hair? Thinning hair abounds! Of course, other things are involved--junk food, excessive sugar, fried foods, etc. Indeed, a combination of factors are coming together to cause this devastating effect in our young men. What is going on??? Well, consider this:

Caffeine and certain other ingredients in coffee, tea and soft drinks causes increased loss of thiamin and other B vitamins in the urine. (Federal Proceedings, 1981;40:914; Nutrition Report International, 1971;4:223-27). There is evidence that caffeic acid in coffee also decreases the bioavailability of thiamin so that less of this vital nutrient is absorbed from food. ("Thiamin," in Present Knowledge in Nutrition, fifth edition, pp. 273-84. And alas! the B-vitamin status of so many North Americans is borderline to begin with, and regular consumption of coffee and soft drinks can contribute to deficiency and various deficiency symptoms, one of which is greying of the hair and hair loss. (Let's Live, Feb. 1978; Prescription for Nutritional Healing, fourth edition, Phillis A. Balch).

Prevention, February 1980 noted that the balding trend can be reversed with folate, biotin, inositol and all the other B-vitamins. Natural sources are nuts, seeds, brown rice, whole grains, and legumes. Unfortunately, these are foods that many shy away from in favor of the fast, junk food.

Other Prevention, articles show that alcohol, excessive salt, smoking, can cause loss of hair. Nutrients for the hair include: zinc, vitamins A, E, omega-3 oil, brewer's yeast, lecithin, wheat germ, the B-vitamins, calcium, etc.

Regarding the condition of our collective "nerves," here is vital information: Here again the B-vitamins are extremely important. Stephen Cherniske, M.S., writing in Caffeine Blues, notes again that the consumption of coffee and soft drinks can contribute to a deficiency of these important nutrients, thus causing neurological damage. (American Journal of Epidemiology, Oct. 1, 1996;144(7):642-44).

Of course, other factors are indeed involved, but we cannot overlook the fact that our addiction to coffee is presenting many problems.

Suzanne

Navigate the Dark Waters of Coffee - Health Claims Versus Reality

by Paula Rothstein

(NaturalNews) For many stressed out and exhausted adults, there is no moment of the day more appealing than one which merges bold taste with an infusion of energy via a hot cup of coffee. However, this particular union has a great deal of depth to its dark waters. And like all great love affairs, there is an equally great crash which follows closely on the heels of bliss. When it comes to the subject of coffee and its effect on health, it is a relationship fraught with division and confusion over claims vs. realty.

Food science is a notoriously elastic subject with studies performed all the time meant to serve an agenda. An estimated 400 million cups are consumed each day, making it the number one drink consumed in the United States. Therefore, it is no surprise that with so much profit to be made, coffee studies are a frequent pawn in the hands of food marketers. As a result, this little bean held in the hands of a marketer appears to be something akin to a health drink. For every study advancing coffee's risk, it is quickly answered with a study conveniently featuring its positive attributes.

The most recent study extolling the benefits of coffee was conducted by the Karlinska Institute in Stockholm. This study followed 35,000 women for 10 years and concluded that drinking one to two cups of coffee each day reduced the risk of stroke. The results of this study are suspect, as Gary Schwitzer, Editor-In-Chief of MayoClinic.com and health journalist, aptly pointed out: this popular study is an "observational study that does not prove cause or effect."

So, who do you believe? You should start with your own body. What is it telling you? Are you having difficulty falling asleep at night? Are you hungry after every meal? Do you need an afternoon nap? If so, you could be one of many coffee drinkers suffering from adrenal fatigue brought on by daily consumption.

The adrenal glands are responsible for hormone production, primarily cortisol. Following that first cup of coffee, your adrenals have been shocked and made ready to proceed as though under duress, releasing "fight or flight" stress hormones which can literally burn your adrenal glands out over time. Daily consumption, especially in large quantities, fatigues the adrenals, thus putting metabolic pathways off balance which in turn leads to irregular blood sugar levels.

Another not often mentioned problem with respect to coffee is that it depletes your supply of Vitamin B6, B2, and folic acid levels - vitamins known for their ability to enhance energy. In fact, increasing vitamin intake, specifically Vitamin B, would be a useful alternative to drinking coffee.

Whether or not coffee is better than it is bad, one specific exception supersedes all positives. If you suffer from any sort of systemic inflammatory condition, such as gut dysbiosis, there is recent research which shows the proteins in coffee are cross-reactive with gluten antibodies. You most definitely would want to avoid coffee entirely if this were the case.

We often make friends of our foes and foes of our friends. No doubt, this perplexing relationship, which we have with coffee, will continue in varying forms and degrees. Happily, there are alternatives that bolster our energy and sharpen our mind that have a much more positive effect on our health. One day, should you entirely give up coffee, you may look back on your troubled relationship with this stimulant and be glad you tossed it over for a better friend.

Sources:

http://www.wellnessresources.com/he...
http://www.ehow.com/list_5931458_co...
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?s...

Suzanne

Coffee intake can affect aspects of immunity. This according to investigators from Tel Aviv Medical, Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel. They found that coffee drinking suppresses lymphocyte (white blood cells) response. --Immunopharmacology, 1990; 12:129-134.

Suzanne