Popular Question – When Should One Eat Fruits?
Popular question – when should one eat fruits? This is a question that has raised dust among the populace. It has created different views among scholars and nutritionist.
Various theories that are antagonistic has been developed and propagated. Let us examine some of these theories about the right time to eat fruits.
Fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach
Fruits should be eaten 2 hours before meals
Fruits should be eaten 2 hours after meals
Fruits should be eaten in the morning, afternoon, or evening.
The above theories have various reasons why fruits should be eaten in those manners. Most of these reasons include; slow down digestion, increases blood sugar levels for diabetes patients, and affects the digestive system.
In life; it has been rightly said that doing the right thing at the right time always guarantees success and this entails wisdom. As true as this is, it does not stay true with when fruits should be eaten!
It is said that eating fruits with meal slow digestion and may cause the stomach to retain food for a longer time.
This is more beneficial to man as food stays longer in the stomach, the individual gets the feeling of being full thus reducing the intake of snacks and other food.
This helps to control obesity and weight gain. Slowing digestion by eating fruit with meals is also very beneficial for patients with diabetes.
As digestion is delayed, the amount of sugar released to the blood is reduced and kept low and steady. This helps in controlling blood sugar levels.
For people with diabetes, eaten some fruits can necessitate eating food rich in protein and fats and some fruits contain a high amount of sugar that may increase the blood sugar level.
It has been said that food that stays long in the stomach does decrease stomach pH and do undergo fermentation which can in turn leads to some health challenges.
Researches have shown this to be false. The presence of food in the mouth stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid (with a pH of about 1.5) in the stomach.
This acid kills every bacteria present in the consumed food thus preventing fermentation and spoilage in the stomach.
The stomach released the food in bits into the small intestine thus allow proper digestion and increases the rate of nutrients assimilation.
However, diabetes patients may indeed develop digestive problems such as gastroparesis (a condition where the stomach empties slower than normal or not at all).
Changes in diet can help to manage this condition and not necessarily the time in which fruit is eaten.
Is there the best time to eat your fruit?
It is important to understand that the human body over time has evolved to be efficient as much as possible to maximally digest and absorb nutrients from food irrespective of when you eat the food.
The small intestine is about 18-20 feet long with a very large surface area ratio. This allows it for efficient extraction and absorption of nutrients.
Irrespective of when you eat, the stomach helps to serve as a store, releasing only small amounts of the food at a time so that the intestines can easily digest it.
Your digestive system is always awake to go into action whenever you eat.