Regarding the timing for eating fruit, various folk tales are circulating. Some say, "You shouldn't eat fruit within an hour before or after a meal; you must wait two hours after a meal to eat it." Others claim, "Fruit in the morning is golden fruit, fruit at night is rotten fruit," and so on. These tales leave the editor in a dilemma between deliciousness and health.
So, which of these stories about eating fruit are actually credible?
Myth 1: Eating fruit before a meal affects digestion and absorption.
The Truth Revealed: Since fruit is rich in sugars that can be quickly converted into glucose and absorbed by the body, eating fruit half an hour before a meal can increase the feeling of fullness without affecting the digestion and absorption of food.
At the same time, as blood sugar rises, the brain's response to the blood sugar threshold is quickly lowered. Coupled with the coarse fiber in fruit, which gives the stomach a "full" feeling, this reduces a strong appetite. This decreases the body's demand for high-fat and high-protein foods in the meal, thus reducing the intake of staple foods and effectively controlling weight.
Myth 2: "Golden fruit" in the morning, "silver fruit" in the afternoon, and "scrap iron fruit" at night.
The Truth Revealed: In reality, a person's digestive and absorption ability has little to do with the time of eating. This ability is mainly related to the secretion of digestive juices and the ability of gastrointestinal motility.
After eating, the digestive system of a healthy person will secrete digestive juices and increase motility to promote digestion and absorption. These processes are not directly related to the time of day but are somewhat related to age; typically, older people secrete fewer digestive juices and their digestive function declines. This means that whether it's morning or night, the digestive system's absorption of fruit is actually no different.
Myth 3: You can't eat fruit when your "period" arrives, as it can easily cause menstrual cramps.
The Truth Revealed: For women, the most annoying thing is getting their "period." To avoid menstrual cramps, they stay far away from cold drinks, but who would have thought that a small problem like cramps could be caused by fruit? It's truly regrettable and despairing!
When your period arrives, it's best not to eat cooling fruits like watermelon or pear, but you can moderately eat "milder" fruits like apples, cherries, jujubes, pomegranates, and durian. These fruits can not only replenish fluids but also provide vitamins and minerals, helping to alleviate symptoms like poor appetite during menstruation, lower back pain, and fatigue.
This is how you should eat fruit for the best health~~
Not advisable to eat fruit on an empty stomach: Because the concentration of stomach acid is high when the stomach is empty, and fruit is rich in organic acids, it can irritate the stomach to some extent. At the same time, fruit contains a lot of tannins, which can easily form stones when combined with stomach acid. Furthermore, because fruit has a high sugar content, eating it on an empty stomach can easily lead to acid production, causing digestive system symptoms like hiccups.
Those with poor digestion should not eat fruit after a meal: People with insufficient stomach acid and poor gastric motility may find that eating fruit immediately after a meal can lead to food stagnating in the stomach and not being digested properly. At the same time, when stomach acid secretion is insufficient, it cannot kill bacteria in food, leading to bacterial reproduction and fermentation in the stomach, which produces a large amount of gas and causes digestive symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.
Those who are obese or overweight should eat fruit before a meal: For obese or overweight individuals, eating fruit before a meal is a good choice. Since fruit contains a lot of water and very few calories, it helps to slow down the speed of eating and reduce the urgency during the meal. At the same time, the fruit eaten before the meal already occupies some "space" in the stomach, which can help reduce the amount of food eaten and control weight.
Those with high blood pressure or high blood lipids should eat fruit before a meal: Increasing the intake of fruit before a meal to replace a small portion of staple food and reduce the amount of the main meal can greatly increase the intake of potassium and dietary fiber, which is beneficial for controlling blood pressure and blood lipids. Eating fruit after a meal would not achieve this effect.
Diabetics should eat fruit between meals: For diabetics, both fruit and staple foods are sources of carbohydrates. Treating fruit as a snack between meals is more beneficial for stabilizing blood sugar. This way, it won't cause a further spike in post-meal blood sugar, nor will it lead to hypoglycemia before the next meal due to hunger. However, it's important to control the portion size, generally around 100 grams per day. Also, pay attention to changes in blood and urine sugar. If urine sugar increases after eating fruit, you should reduce your staple food intake to avoid a rise in blood sugar.