This time we will see when to eat fruit, to take full advantage of its properties, so important for our health, without weighing down digestion.
For human nutrition, fruits are essential foods, which provide a rich range of nutrients. Their consumption in the summer season increases, it is no coincidence that we have dealt with them in our articles on the summer diet and their correct consumption, also going to see recommended portions.
When To Eat Fruit
Doubts and uncertainties about when to eat fruit are quite deep-rooted. It is known that fruit is good for you, but not all times of the day are equally suitable for consuming it.
First of all, it would be ideal to eat it on an empty stomach and not at the end of a meal, when instead it would take longer to be assimilated. The traditional consumption at the end of meals, therefore, is not as useful, also because it can penalize the absorption of some vitamins.
However, eating fruit after a meal is not entirely inadvisable and is certainly preferable to the absence of consumption. Fruit contains fiber, which reduces the assimilation of fats while facilitating the absorption of iron. Therefore, eating fruit after a meal can still have positive implications. In slimming diets, generally, the consumption of fruit is indicated only in snacks and at breakfast, to control the caloric intake, especially sugar.
In summary, the perfect occasions to eat fruit are breakfast and any mid-morning and afternoon snacks. However, moderate consumption at the end of lunch should not be criminalized. The end of dinner, of all, is the least propitious moment.
At Breakfast
If you think about when to eat fruit, breakfast is absolutely the best time, because if eaten on an empty stomach it can be digested perfectly, with optimal assimilation of vitamins and minerals. The natural fructose contained in fruits is perfect for giving energy to the body without increasing blood sugar too much, while the liquids contained help the body to rehydrate.
At breakfast, fruit can be paired with milk, honey, and cereals, perhaps wholemeal. In the event that milk or dairy products are also consumed, it is better to avoid citrus fruits, preferring non-acidic fruits, such as pear, apple, and banana, to avoid the appearance of stomach acidity or gastrointestinal repercussions.
For Snack
After breakfast, mid-morning and afternoon snacks are the two favorite moments to eat fruit. As mentioned, fruit is better digested and assimilated away from main meals, providing an excellent nutritional intake to block hunger.
This will also help keep you from overeating at lunch and dinner. The consumption of fruit in snacks is always healthier than the consumption of baked goods, especially of snacks and sweets.
In The Main Meals
During meals, fruit should not necessarily be avoided, although it is better to consume it in moderation and take some precautions. For digestion purposes, there are no substantial differences between consuming fruit at the beginning or at the end of the meal. However, it is customary to consume it at the end of a meal.
The apple is the most suitable fruit to be eaten at meals because it is less demanding to digest. Fresh pineapple, on the other hand, goes well with meat, as it is rich in enzymes that promote the digestion of proteins. Also from the point of view of taste, pineapple and meats go well together, in Brazilian cuisine this apparently unusual encounter is instead typical.
In many European culinary traditions, on the other hand, the use of citrus fruits is widespread to accompany fish and meat dishes. Plums, apples, and pears are instead used in the preparation of sauces to accompany boiled and roasted meats. Citrus fruits and kiwis, which contain vitamin C, help to better assimilate the iron contained in meats and some vegetables.
How Fruit Should Be Eaten
After talking about when to eat fruit, here are some simple tips on how and how much to consume it in the best way:
- 3 servings a day. Food authorities recommend eating 3 150-gram servings of fruit (and 2 vegetables) per day, possibly of different colors to provide a wider range of nutrients. When you get used to eating fruit for breakfast and as a snack, that’s it.
- Ripe fruit. To express the best on a nutritional level, and also on that taste, the fruit must be eaten with the right degree of ripeness.
- Wash it thoroughly. It is important to wash fruit well before eating it, to remove any pesticide residues or other impurities. From this point of view, organic fruit has an added advantage, even if it must be washed anyway.
- The peel is good for you. Most of the popular fruits have easy-to-eat skin, think for example apples, pears, or plums. This part should not be considered a waste, because it contains important fibers for the body.
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