Should you eat fruit before a meal or after? Should you eat before drinking? Healthy living habits require following a reasonable dietary pattern. The order in which you eat also matters; what you eat first and what you eat afterward is something of great importance.
Drink soup—before or after the meal?
Common soups are mainly of three types: light soups, usually made by boiling vegetables such as cabbage, winter melon, loofah, or even tofu. Fresh seasonal vegetables are generally chosen. This type of soup is relatively light and can be consumed before, after, or during a meal. There are also concentrated soups, mainly soups stewed for a long time with bones or meat, such as pork rib soup or chicken feet soup. These are greasy soups with a high saturated fat content. This type of soup contains a large amount of purines and is not suitable for people with gout. At the same time, this type of soup can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract, so people with weak gastrointestinal function, the elderly, children, and pregnant or postpartum women should not consume too much. In addition, soups made from fruits such as apples, papayas, snow pears, red dates, or lotus seeds, or soups made from medicinal herbs such as angelica or ginseng, which are thick and sweet, should not be consumed in excess.
Drinking light soup before a meal can replenish the body's fluids, lubricate the mouth, and activate the gastrointestinal digestive system, which helps dissolve food and allows for more complete digestion and absorption. However, if consumed in excess, it can dilute gastric juice. Moreover, the stomach has a fixed volume; drinking a large amount of soup means consuming a small amount of food, which in turn reduces the intake of many nutrients, so it is not worth the loss. Therefore, it is best to drink soup in moderation before a meal, and light soups can be reasonably consumed after a meal.
Fruit—eat between meals
The highest nutritional content in fruit is fructose, glucose, etc. These monosaccharides are easily absorbed by the human body, especially easily digested and absorbed in the intestines, and can quickly replenish the body's energy, especially when in a state of hypoglycemia. Fruit also contains a large amount of dietary fiber, which creates a feeling of fullness after consumption. Therefore, eating fruit before a meal may affect a person's appetite, leading to a reduction in food intake. This, in turn, reduces the absorption of other nutrients such as protein and vitamins, and the impact on health is obvious.
If you choose to eat fruit immediately after a meal, it is also unscientific. Eating fruit will cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly, increasing the burden on the pancreas. This process also affects the progress of other digestive systems and reduces the absorption of certain nutrients, so it is not advisable. The best way is to consume fruit between meals, such as between 9 and 10 AM, between 3 and 4 PM, or two hours before bedtime at night. Diabetics should pay attention to choosing low or medium-sugar fruits when selecting fruit, such as apples or kiwis.
Alcohol—should not be consumed on an empty stomach
One of the rules of social dining today is to finish the first glass of wine before the meal. What people don't realize is that doing so is extremely dangerous. The main component of alcohol is ethanol, which can be absorbed by the stomach and intestines without being broken down by enzymes. After rapid consumption, ethanol enters the bloodstream in 5 minutes and reaches its peak blood alcohol concentration in twenty to thirty minutes. For diabetics using insulin therapy, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can cause a hypoglycemic reaction. The correct way to drink is to first supplement with some food before drinking, either staple foods or vegetables, to intake a certain amount of protein and carbohydrates to activate the digestive system. This can slow down the absorption of alcohol by the stomach and intestines, preventing alcohol poisoning from drinking too quickly.
Beverages—can be consumed between meals
Beverages can be consumed between meals. Children, however, should not drink too many. Because beverages have a high osmotic pressure, they will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. Children's gastrointestinal functions are not fully developed, and after drinking, they are prone to symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea due to the high osmotic pressure. Furthermore, most soft drinks are stored at low temperatures, even close to 0°C. Such beverages can irritate the stomach, causing stomach cramps and pain. If you must drink, take the beverage out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before drinking.
Tea—should not be consumed during meals
Tea has many effects, such as stimulating the nerves, relieving fatigue, aiding digestion and reducing greasiness, increasing appetite, relieving summer heat and thirst, and regulating body temperature. Tea can be consumed before or after a meal. However, drinking tea during a meal can affect the absorption of many major elements (such as calcium) and trace elements (such as iron and zinc). Special attention should be paid to not drinking tea at the same time as drinking milk or other dairy products. The theophylline and tannic acid in tea will combine with the calcium in dairy products to form calcium salts that are insoluble in water and are excreted from the body, greatly reducing the nutritional value of the dairy products.
It is best to drink tea in moderation, and light tea is preferable. It is not advisable to drink excessive amounts of strong tea or overnight tea. Tea contains caffeine, which can cause calcium loss in the body and has a strong stimulating effect on the nerves, affecting sleep. This is especially evident when drinking overnight tea and strong tea. Women and pregnant women should try to drink less strong tea.