We have heard of the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Fruits are essential in a healthy diet because they are rich in vitamins and fibre. However, to reap the maximum benefits from the fruits that we eat, we should ask ourselves this question.

Is it best to eat them before, during or after a meal?

In our culture, we often eat fruits as desserts at the end of a meal. Did you know that this could actually cause digestion problems?

Some experts are recommending that fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach, at least twenty minutes before eating a proper meal. The explanation behind this is fairly simple.
Fruits contain simple sugars that are easily digested and take less than half an hour to digest. Other food which contain starch, protein and fats take a longer time to be digested and will stay in our stomachs for a longer period of time.

So, if we eat fruits after our meals, the fruits will be mixed together with what we have previously eaten. This causes the fruits to ferment and even rot as they wait to be digested together with other food. Thus, all the nutrition will go down the drain (figuratively speaking) and the fruits that we ate were eaten in vain!

So the next time that we pick up a fruit to eat, remember the simple guidelines and together, we can keep the doctors away.

Sources:

http://www.globalhealthandfitness.com/how%20to%20eat%20fruit.htm

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/fruit-article.html

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/fruit.asp

(last accessed 19 April 2008)

1) Fruits by Robin Nelson
Call Number: JP English 641.3 NEL

2) The world’s healthiest foods : essential guide for the healthiest way of eating by George Mateljan
Call Number: English 641.3 MAT

3) Eat, drink, and be healthy : the Harvard Medical School guide to healthy eating by Walter C. Willett with Patrick J.
Call Number: English 613.2 WIL -[HEA]

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Posted by Rosjihanah Mon
Associate Librarian, Children’s Services