What's the proper way to eat fruits, before or after meals?

Philippines
October 27, 2009 9:02pm CST
Fruits are good for our body's health. It is a good source of fiber. It's easily digested by our body. But why do we eat fruits after meal? will it be good to eat fruits before our meals so that it will be digested and assimilated first in our body?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@2timothy (794)
• Philippines
29 Oct 09
Nutritionists found out that eating fruits first with all its fibers and enzymes at every meal help digestion and limit overeating other food groups. The best sequence is fruits, vegetables, breads or grains, and meats.
• Philippines
29 Oct 09
amen bro
@qpzmzjx (41)
• China
28 Oct 09
as i know,it is better to eat fruits before the meals , but i can't totally explain the reason .i just remenber it .and the meal fibre is not digested,the function is to stimulate the large intestine's movment.and then the body can excrete on time. eating fruits before the meal can help the stomach have more acid and prepare to digested the food
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
28 Oct 09
I did some research and this is what I found.... Eating fruit before meals and other food combining rules Natural Hygienists have known for a long time that fruit doesn’t combine well with other foods. The reason is that fruit contains simple sugars that require no digestion. Thus, they will not stay for a long time in the stomach. Other foods, such as foods rich in fat, protein and starch, will stay in the stomach for a longer period of time because they require more digestion. So if you eat fruit after a meal, the fruit sugar will stay for too long in the stomach and ferment. This is why people experience digestive trouble when eating fruit that way. They then blame that particular fruit for their trouble and claim that they are “allergic” to it. Natural Hygienists have been recommending for a long time that fruit be eaten alone with no other foods. They have also recommended eating melons alone and avoiding mixing acid fruits with sweet fruits such as bananas. These are great recommendations, but can be definitely be simplified. Many people have a difficult time eating a meal of fruit alone. They’ll eat a meal of melon and not so long after they’ll be hungry again, for the simple and obvious reason that melons are not calorie dense. Eating a small cantaloupe (200 calories) is not going to sustain you for very long. But because they have read somewhere that mixing melons with other fruits is not allowed, they’ll try to wait until the next meal to eat something else and then will often in the meantime overeat on dried fruits and nuts to compensate. The solution to this is very simple: since fruit digests so fast, it is possible to eat fruit before any other food. You can, when you are hungry, eat as much fruit as you care for. One type of fruit only would be ideal. Then wait a little bit, like 5-10 minutes, and have any other food you desire. This can be a salad, a little avocado with tomatoes, some nuts, or anything. It can be cooked food too. If you’ve been trying to follow food-combining rules without success, this new information could be very valuable to you. The same goes with mixing other fruits together. You can eat all the melon you want, and then, if you are still hungry, eat another type of fruit to satisfy your appetite. It is not necessary to eat melons alone if they are eaten before another foods. You can even have melon and then have an avocado after. The only thing that is important to remember is to have the fruit first - not after, and ideally only have one variety at a time. http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/fruit-article.html Guess it does make a difference...lol
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
28 Oct 09
I don't think it matters in what order you eat most foods. Eating fruit at the end of the meal (usa) is usually a way to eat fruit for desert in place of sugary things or not so good for you things. Fruit with cereal is good too. We need to eat fruit more times a day than many people do. The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 4 servings of fruit each day,my doctor suggests more fruit and veggies and less grains. So before meals, with meals or after meals...it's all good as long as it goes in and digests..you are good to go. We always had fruit as a snack or with meals as we didn't always have desert. The Food Pyramid, developed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is an excellent tool to help you make healthy food choices. The food pyramid can help you choose from a variety of foods so you get the nutrients you need, and the suggested serving sizes can help you control the amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar or sodium in your diet. Here is a link ... http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/food-pyramid.asp
@sand_sd1 (90)
• India
28 Oct 09
food------friuts
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
28 Oct 09
Now this is a helpful response.....don't you think? Jeez
@yan_blue8 (1437)
• Philippines
28 Oct 09
Hi phoebe! Fruits are really good source of fiber and vitamins that is need by our body. In my opinion, there is actually no PROPER way to eat fruits, either before of after meals, whichever way you want it. But as you noticed, most people eat fruits after meal. As for me it serves as a desert as well because of the sweet taste you're getting from it. However, if you eat fruits before meal, this may affect your eating because that fruit will already be good enough for one meal.. lolz.. :)