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Fruits: Anytime?

Fruits are one of the healthiest and delicious foods that exist in would. Fruits are a key component of nutrition that contains many vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, amino and fatty acids along with water. Regular eating of fruits as a part of our diet has lots of health benefits. However, it is not simple to obtain all benefits of fruits only by eating them at anytime. In order to have optimal results from fruits one has to understand when fruits should be taken. According to the recent research studies, having fruits with empty stomach or 30-40 minutes before a meal is the best time.

In our culture we often eat fruits after having a meal as a dessert when stomach is almost full. At that time, we hardly get any advantage of eating fruits. According to the WHO guidelines, minimum five servings of fruits and vegetable is a daily human need. However, because of poor economic condition of our country, average population hardly affords 1 to 2 serving of fruits. As per the WHO research survey analyzed in 2008, 99.2% of men and 99.3% of women in Pakistan consumed less than a minimum recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. It is therefore, crucial to get maximum benefits of whatever little is available.

When fruits are taken after a meal they set at the top of the food in our stomach. They are mixed with other food contents and because of fragmentation and putrefaction process, digestive juices destroy most of their nutrients. On the other hand, if fruits are taken with an empty stomach, they digest directly and provide energy in form of glucose. It acts as a detoxifier, helps to reduce weight and prevents many discomforts.

Fruits in a raw form are a great source of energy to our body then any other food groups. Fruits only take twenty to thirty minutes to digest as compared to meat which takes in between one to four hours. Fruits are predigested by the process of mastication in the mouth and esophagus before it reaches to stomach. Instead of consuming a lot of energy for digestion, fruits provide immediate fuel to our body. They are rich in sugar (glucose) which rapidly absorb in our blood stream and produce energy.

Taking fruits with an empty stomach act as a detoxifier in our body. Detoxification prevents many diseases. Fruits contain 99% water which helps to wash our digestive system. The strongest source for detoxifier is acidic fruits such as red grapefruits, lemons and other citrus fruits. Taking lemon (in any form) with an empty stomach assists in process of elimination of waste from the body. Similarly, apples contain vitamin C which also acts as a detoxifier. That’s why we usually say ‘An apple a day keeps doctor away’.

Eating fruits before meal help to reduce obesity caused by over eating. Fruits are rich in fructose and glucose which absorb and raise blood glucose level resulting in less appetite and little amount of food consumption. Fruits also contain fibers which let our stomach not to feel hunger, consequent less in-take of food. Fruits also help to reduce fats in our body. Having fruits before meal reduce craving to consume fatty foods which reduce accumulation of extra fats in our body. It thus helps to reduce weight. On the other hand, eating fruits after meals increase sugar level which accumulate fats ultimately result in increased weight.

My personal clinical experience reveals that at times patients complain about heavy stomach once they consume fruits like watermelon or they have to rush to toilet when they eat banana. One common reason for all such cases was having fruits after a heavy meal. Taking fruits after a full stomach produce gasses because of putrefaction and leads to bloating. A simple prescription to avoid such discomfort is having fruits before 30 minutes of meal or with an empty stomach.

It is a time to promote and encourage healthy practice of consuming fruits with an empty stomach. Awareness campaign is necessary to build such habits among people. Media and other communication channels including internet, mobile technology can play a vital role in promoting and advertising such healthy practices. Eating fruits in a proper way can get the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy and happiness.


Shahnila Feroz Ali
Karachi.