Introduction: Fruits are essential for daily wellness, not only supplementing the body with various nutrients but also enhancing beauty and skin health. But did you know that the timing of when you eat fruit matters? Consuming fruits at the right time according to their specific benefits can double their nutritional value. Here are recommendations for the best times to eat different fruits—
Best in the morning: Apples, Pears, Grapes
Eating fruit in the morning can aid digestion and absorption, promote bowel regularity, and the sweet and sour taste can leave you feeling refreshed all day. After a night of rest, the gastrointestinal tract is still activating, and its digestive function is not strong. Therefore, fruits that are not too acidic and have a light astringent taste, such as apples, pears, and grapes, are highly suitable.
Not before meals: Cherry tomatoes, Oranges, Hawthorn, Bananas, Persimmons
Certain fruits should not be eaten on an empty stomach before a meal, such as cherry tomatoes, oranges, hawthorn, and bananas. Cherry tomatoes contain soluble tannins; if eaten on an empty stomach, they can combine with stomach acid, increasing pressure in the stomach and causing pain. Oranges contain a large amount of organic acids, which can easily lead to bloating and acid reflux when consumed on an empty stomach. Hawthorn is sour and can cause stomach pain when eaten on an empty stomach.
Bananas are high in potassium and magnesium. Eating them on an empty stomach can raise the level of magnesium in the blood, which can have an inhibitory effect on the cardiovascular system. So, friends who want to lose weight with bananas should be careful; don't harm your health in pursuit of slimming.
Persimmons have an astringent effect. When they encounter stomach acid, they can form phytobezoars, which cannot be digested or excreted. After eating a large quantity on an empty stomach, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting may appear.
Best after meals: Pineapple, Papaya, Kiwi, Oranges, Hawthorn
The bromelain in pineapple helps digest protein, supplementing the body's insufficient digestive enzymes and enhancing digestive function. Li Shizhen also affirmed in *Compendium of Materia Medica* that pineapple can strengthen the spleen and stomach and consolidate vital energy. Eating some pineapple after a meal can whet the appetite, relieve greasiness, and aid digestion.
The papain in papaya can help the human body break down meat protein. Eating a small amount of papaya after a meal has certain benefits for preventing gastric ulcers, gastroenteritis, and indigestion. Kiwis, oranges, hawthorn, and others are rich in organic acids, which can increase the activity of digestive enzymes, promote fat breakdown, and help with digestion.
Best late-night snack: Longan
Eating fruit as a late-night snack is not good for digestion, and because fruits contain too much sugar, it can easily lead to excess calories and cause obesity. Especially eating high-fiber fruits before sleep can make you feel full and affect sleep, which is even more harmful to people with poor gastrointestinal function. However, if you have trouble sleeping, you can eat a few longans. They have a sedative and sleep-aiding effect that can help you sleep more soundly.
Summer's "Remedy": Watermelon
Watermelon is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, glucose, sucrose, fructose, malic acid, glutamic acid, and arginine. It has the effects of clearing heat and relieving summer heat, promoting urination, and lowering blood pressure. Eating more watermelon on hot summer days can have a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on high fever, thirst, excessive sweating from summer heat, less urine from nephritis, and hypertension.