Fruit is healthy for us and there's no doubt that eating fruit is important in our overall health and well being. In some of my healthy eating research, I have discovered guidelines about eating fruit that we should follow in order to get full benefits for our health. It’s just not about putting fruit in our mouth whenever we feel like it. It’s about learning the proper ways to eat fruit so our body will thank us with less digestive problems and tons more energy.
Fruit should be eaten alone or with other fruit on an empty stomach. Why?
- Because when fruit is eaten, the digestive process works very quickly and our body uses different enzymes to digest the fruit. The simple sugars contained in fruit need time to be completely absorbed by your body. When fruits are eaten alone, the stomach can more easily process all of the nutrients, fiber and the simple sugars contained in the fruit. This is the optimal 'proper way' to benefit from the fruit we eat.
- If you experience indigestion, heartburn, burping and other digestive discomforts and you blame on the meal - it could be the combination of the food, the fermentation with fruit that causes your upset stomach. If left uncontrolled it could lead to other health problems that stem from the digestive tract.
When is the Best time to eat fruit?
- It’s either first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, or as a mid-morning snack - in between breakfast and lunch. It's a good idea, to just eat more fruit at one time, whether it's fruit salad, an apple or a fruit smoothie. (3-4 servings of fruit is a proper daily requirement, that's 2 1/2 - 2 cups of fruit).
- Definitely avoid eating fruit close to bedtime as there's plenty of sugar in fruit to spike up your energy and keep you up when you need your sleep.
For more information on healthy eating, email me at pchaney@merrittclubs.com
