Many people believe that fruits have low fat content and low energy, so eating fruits will not make you gain weight, so they will eat a lot of fruits. In fact, the sweetness of fruits comes from sugar, and this sugar is the same as the sugar in beverages and pastries. Consuming too much sugar can also be converted into fat. If you eat two large apples or half a watermelon without reducing the amount of rice and dishes, the fat will accumulate more and more. So, should fruits be eaten before meals or after meals?
Eat sour fruits sparingly on an empty stomach before meals
There are many fruits that are sour. The sourness of fruits comes from organic acids, and the astringency comes from tannins. Organic acids are beneficial for mineral absorption, but excessive intake may cause certain irritations to the stomach. Tannins can coagulate proteins, and if the gastric mucosa does not secrete enough mucus, it may damage the surface of the gastric mucosa.
Eating fruits before meals is suitable for those who want to lose weight
For those who need to control their weight, blood pressure, and blood lipids, eating fruits before meals is beneficial because it can reduce the amount of the main meal and increase the intake of dietary fiber and potassium. In addition, the following fruits should not be eaten on an empty stomach: tomatoes, persimmons, oranges, hawthorns, bananas, etc.
Eat fruits before meals
Losing weight requires suppressing appetite and normal digestion and absorption. Studies have shown that if you eat some fruits or drink 1 to 2 cups of fruit juice 20 to 40 minutes before a meal, it can effectively and painlessly prevent obesity caused by overeating. Because fruits or fruit juice are rich in fructose and glucose, they can be quickly absorbed by the body to satisfy the urgent "thirst" for blood oxygen, and the dietary fiber in fruits can give the stomach a sense of fullness. In addition, eating fruits before meals can significantly reduce the desire for fatty foods, indirectly preventing the adverse consequences of excessive fat accumulation in the body.
Eat fruits 30 minutes after meals
After just having dinner, the food in the stomach has not been digested yet. If you eat fruits at this time, they will accumulate above the food and cannot be digested in time, and the temperature in the body is suitable for the fermentation of fruits, to put it bluntly, they will rot easily. The main components of sugar in fruits are fructose and glucose, which can be absorbed directly into the small intestine without digestion and decomposition. Other foods containing starch and protein, such as rice, pasta, and meat, need to stay in the stomach for a while to be digested. If you eat fruits immediately after a meal, the slow-digesting starch and protein will block the digestion of the fast-digesting fruits. All the food will mix together in the stomach, and the fruits will undergo fermentation reaction or even decay at the high temperature of 36-37 degrees Celsius in the body, which may cause symptoms such as bloating and constipation, and bring adverse effects to the digestive tract.
Conclusion
Experts point out that the correct time to eat fruits is about 1 hour before meals and 2 hours after meals. First of all, many components in fruits are water-soluble, and eating them before meals is beneficial for the absorption of essential nutrients by the body. Secondly, fruits are low-calorie foods, and eating low-calorie foods first makes it easier to control the total calorie intake of a meal. Thirdly, many fruits themselves are prone to oxidation and decay. Eating them first can shorten their stay in the stomach, reduce the degree of oxidation and decay, and reduce the possible adverse effects on the body. In addition, we should also pay attention not to eat fruits before going to bed at night, otherwise the full stomach and intestines will affect your sleep.
Do not think that eating fruits is a trivial matter. Only by eliminating these misconceptions can we develop truly beneficial habits for our health.
