After every meal, we like to eat fruit to aid digestion. However, this practice is actually counterproductive. How can we eat fruit to ensure we fully absorb its nutrients without adversely affecting our bodies? Here is the science behind eating fruit.
Many people have developed the habit of eating fruit after a meal, but this method is actually unscientific for four reasons:
(1) Fruit can easily get stuck in the stomach along with food, causing bloating, constipation, and other issues.
(2) Fruit contains a lot of sugars, such as glucose and fructose. Eating fruit immediately after a meal increases the burden on the digestive tract and pancreas. Some fruits are also high in starch and are difficult to digest.
(3) Fruit is rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, which are highly absorbent. When they absorb water, they swell, increasing stool bulk. When there is too much fiber, it can also hinder the absorption of vitamins and trace elements.
(4) For people trying to lose weight, eating a large amount of fruit after a meal can lead to obesity due to excessive energy intake.
Three major benefits of eating fruit before a meal:
Conversely, eating a certain amount of fruit before a meal has many benefits.
First, many components in fruit are water-soluble, such as vitamin C and pectin, a soluble plant fiber that can lower blood cholesterol levels. Their digestion and absorption do not require the mixing of complex digestive juices, allowing them to pass quickly through the stomach into the small intestine for absorption. The absorption rate on an empty stomach is much higher than when the stomach is full.
Second, eating fruit before a meal helps in achieving the "eight-tenths full" principle of healthy eating. Fruit is a low-calorie food, with an average calorie content of only one-fourth that of an equivalent weight of staple foods and about one-tenth that of meat. Eating low-calorie foods first makes it easier to control the total intake.
Third, many fruits are prone to oxidation and spoilage. Eating fruit first shortens its time in the stomach, reducing its degree of oxidation and spoilage, and thus minimizing any potential adverse effects on the body.
Follow the "Four Don'ts"
(1) Don't eat unripe fruit, as it contains a lot of tannins, tastes astringent, and is unpalatable.
(2) Don't pick and eat unfamiliar wild fruits, as some can be harmful to the human body.
(3) Don't eat spoiled or rotten fruit, as it contains a large amount of bacteria that can easily cause illness after consumption.
(4) Don't casually eat fruit kernels, as some contain toxic substances (such as bitter almond kernels, loquat kernels, etc.), which can cause poisoning after consumption.