Fruits are considered one of the healthiest foods by many, and some people even eat several times more fruit than staple foods. But did you know that there are rules to eating fruit? Otherwise, not only will you fail to achieve health benefits, but you may also bring on various diseases.
1. Avoid eating fruit immediately after a meal
Eating fruit right after a meal does not aid digestion; on the contrary, it can cause bloating and constipation. Therefore, it is best to eat fruit 2 hours after a meal or 1 hour before a meal.
2. Avoid eating fruit without rinsing your mouth
Some fruits contain various fermentable sugars that are highly corrosive to teeth. If you don't rinse your mouth after eating, the fruit residue left in the mouth can easily lead to cavities.
3. Avoid eating too much fruit
Excessive fruit consumption can lead to copper deficiency in the body, which in turn increases cholesterol levels in the blood and can cause coronary heart disease. Therefore, it is not advisable to eat too much fruit in a short period.
4. Avoid eating unhygienic fruit
Eating fruit that is starting to rot, or eating fruits like strawberries, mulberries, and sliced watermelon that are not thoroughly washed and disinfected, especially if they were not protected from dust and flies, can easily lead to digestive tract infections such as dysentery, typhoid, and acute gastroenteritis.
5. Avoid using alcohol to disinfect fruit
Although alcohol can kill bacteria on the surface of fruit, it will alter the fruit's color, aroma, and flavor. The reaction between alcohol and the acids in the fruit will also reduce its nutritional value.
6. Avoid eating raw fruit without peeling it
Some people believe that the peel contains more vitamins than the flesh and therefore eat the fruit with the peel on. What they don't realize is that when fruits suffer from pests and diseases, pesticides are often used to kill them. These pesticides can penetrate and remain in the waxy layer of the peel, meaning the pesticide residue on the peel is much higher than in the flesh.
7. Avoid using a kitchen knife to peel fruit
Because a kitchen knife often comes into contact with meat, fish, and vegetables, it can carry parasites or parasite eggs to the fruit, leading to parasitic infections in humans. Moreover, the rust on the knife will react with the tannic acid in apples, diminishing the apple's color, aroma, and flavor.