Why You Shouldn't Eat Fruit Immediately After a Meal
Introduction: Many people know that you shouldn't eat fruit right after a meal, but they don't know the reason. So, why is that? The following explanation is for everyone. Those who are in the habit of eating fruit after a meal might want to take a look.
In our daily diet, the main components are fat, sugar, and protein. The residence time of these foods in the stomach is roughly as follows: about 1 hour for carbohydrates, 2-3 hours for protein, and 5-6 hours for fat.
When you eat fruit immediately after a meal, the slowly digested starches, proteins, and fats will interfere with the quickly digested fruit. These foods need to stay in the stomach for one or two hours or even longer, undergoing chemical reactions with digestive juices to break down before entering the small intestine for absorption. The fruit is thus blocked and stagnates in the stomach, where it can spoil at a high temperature of 104°F (40°C).
The main component of fruit is fructose. Under the high temperature of the stomach, it can undergo a fermentation reaction and even spoilage, producing alcohol and toxins. This can lead to symptoms such as bloating and constipation, adversely affecting the digestive tract and causing various ailments, including heartburn, indigestion, and stomach pain.
Fruit also contains flavonoid compounds. If they do not enter the small intestine for timely digestion and absorption and are blocked in the stomach by other foods, they can be converted into dihydroxybenzoic acid by the action of stomach bacteria. Meanwhile, the vegetables consumed contain thiocyanate. Under the action of these two chemical substances, thyroid function can be interfered with, potentially leading to non-iodine-based goiter.
Four Points to Note When Eating Fruit:
1. Many components in fruit are water-soluble. Eating fruit before a meal helps the body absorb essential nutrients.
2. Fruit is a low-calorie food, with an average calorie content of only about 1/4 that of an equivalent weight of staple foods and about 1/10 that of equivalent pork and other meats. Eating low-calorie foods first makes it easier to control the total calorie intake of a meal.
3. Many fruits are prone to oxidation and spoilage. Eating fruit first can shorten its time in the stomach, reducing its degree of oxidation and spoilage and minimizing any potential adverse effects on the body.
4. However, children, who are in a period of growth, and some women who, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, have a "deficient spleen and stomach cold" constitution, may not be suitable for or may not tolerate eating fruit before a meal. This group of people can add a serving of fruit between meals.