Fruits are an important part of a healthy diet. The high content of essential vitamins and antioxidants in fruits helps the body to fight against disease. We love fruits but the question of eating fruits as dessert after meal or before meal is still combating. There is a lot of misinformation about the best time to eat fruits on the Internet. Some people claim that certain fruits should be eaten at certain times in order to have its optimum benefits.
Some people advise that fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach and if it is eaten with other foods it can cause fermentation and rot in the stomach which affects digestion. It is true that the fibre in fruits can delay the emptiness of our stomach which helps us to feel full longer which may lead us to eat fewer calories for the next meal. Slow digestion does not spoil the food because when food or fruits reach the stomach, they will mix with gastric acid which has very low pH to kill bacteria in our food and prevent the growth of microbes. Even if the fruits stay in our stomach longer than usual, our stomach designed specifically to prevent microbial growth through rotting and fermentation.
On the other hand, people also worry about nutrients lost if eats fruits after meal. In fact, our intestine which has 20 feet length and with over 320 square feet of absorption area can absorb twice as many nutrients as we consume in one day. However, it is advisable for diabetic patients to eat fruits with a meal or with food high in fibre or protein. From that, our stomach can release food into the small intestine slower that results in a smaller amount of sugar absorbed at one time leading to a smaller rise in blood sugar level.
Interestingly, some may claim that you should avoid eating fruits after afternoon as this will cause a high spike in blood glucose level. Any carbs-containing food will raise your blood sugar but there is no evidence showing that your blood sugar will be spiked more after afternoon than any other time of day. Although our carbs tolerance level may fluctuate throughout the day, these changes do not affect your overall metabolic rate. There is no evidence showing that eating fruits in the afternoon will cause weight gain. But in fact, evidence showed that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables throughout the day are less likely to gain weight.
In conclusion, fruits are rich in essential nutrients for proper growth and function of the body and thus it is important to make them as part of your daily diet. There is no best time to eat fruits. But if you have diabetes, eating fruits with protein or fibre will help to slow down the sugar released into your blood. As for people who wish to lose weight, you may eat fruits before the meal as it will make you full and you may eat less for your meal.
Short message: Make sure to eat these nutrient-dense fruits. Fruits at any time of the day are good. But if you are diabetic patients, eating fruits with protein or fibre will be more advisable. As for people wish to lose weight, you may eat fruits before a meal to help you control your appetite.
Conclusion:
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References:
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- Karl, J. P., Roberts, S. B., Schaefer, E. J., Gleason, J. A., Fuss, P., Rasmussen, H., Das, S. K. (2015). Effects of carbohydrate quantity and glycemic index on resting metabolic rate and body composition during weight loss. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 23(11), 2190–2198. doi:10.1002/oby.21268
- Moghaddam, E., Vogt, J. A. & Wolever, T. M. S. (2005). The Effects of Fat and Protein on Glycemic Responses in Nondiabetic Humans Vary with Waist Circumference, Fasting Plasma Insulin, and Dietary Fiber Intake, The J Nutr, 136(10), 2506–2511.
- Pinkhasov, B.B., Selyatinskaya, V.G., Astrakhantseva, E.L. et al. (2016). Circadian rhythms of carbohydrate metabolism in women with different types of obesity. Bull Exp Biol Med, 161(3), 323-326.
- Schwingshackl, L., Hoffmann, G., Kalle-Uhlmann, T., Arregui, M., Buijsse, B., & Boeing, H. (2015). Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Changes in Anthropometric Variables in Adult Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. PloS one, 10(10), e0140846. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140846
- Walton, K. D., Freddo, A. M., Wang, S., & Gumucio, D. L. (2016). Generation of intestinal surface: an absorbing tale. Development (Cambridge, England), 143(13), 2261–2272. doi:10.1242/dev.135400
- Wander, A. J., Mars, M., Borgonjen-van den Berg, K. J., de Graaf, C., Feskens, E. J. (2014). Satiety and energy intake after single and repeated exposure to gel-forming dietary fiber: post-ingestive effects. Int J Obes, 38(6), 794-800. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.176
- Weber, E. & Ehrlein, H. J. (1996). Reserve capacities of the small intestine for absorption of energy. Am J Physiol, 275(1):R300-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1998.275.1.R300.