Although you may think otherwise, there is no scientific evidence that it is better to eat the fruit between meals.
Fruit is a wonderful food, full of multiple flavors and aromas, whose organoleptic qualities actually vary from one to another depending on the variety that we are going to consume. Thus, for example, the tropical fruits that we find in season in summer tend to be more aromatic than those that we find in autumn or winter, somewhat more caloric.
Regarding what would be the best time to consume the fruit, there are a series of myths or erroneous beliefs that little by little have taken root in our day to day, to the point that they are taken as real and one hundred percent. A hundred true, when in reality it shouldn’t be that way.
One of these common beliefs has to do with when to eat the fruit. That is, it is often thought that fruit is always better to eat between meals, and to support this belief, it is argued that it is more appropriate to do so for a digestion issue. That is, it is said that the fruit consumed after meals tends to “ferment” and cause annoying and uncomfortable gas, and that it can even negatively affect the natural process of digestion.
Although it is true that there are fruits that help facilitate digestion (such as apple, papaya or pineapple), the reality is quite different: there is no scientific basis to argue that eating fruit after meals It can affect digestion, or that it is better to eat them between meals to prevent it from fermenting. Or, simply, that it is healthier to consume them between meals.
It is natural for our body to digest several foods at the same time. For this reason, it does not matter if we consume the fruit before, during or after meals: our digestive system will carry out the digestion process regardless of when it is consumed. That is, all the ingredients that we have consumed through food will be mixed with gastric juices, following the digestive process together.
Of course, we must bear in mind that it is not the same to eat in a moderate way than in large quantities. In the latter case, it could be more likely that our digestion suffers, since it will cost us more to do it, and it is common for discomfort and related symptoms such as bloating and stomach discomfort, as well as gas or flatulence.
When is it more appropriate to eat fruit between meals?
Although, as we indicated earlier, there is no scientific evidence to support that eating fruit between meals is healthier, in certain people with certain digestive disorders it may make them feel better, but actually for other reasons.
The same happens with those people who are following a weight loss diet, since eating fruit between meals – much better than any other appetizer or snack – will help to reach the next meals with less appetite. In this way, you will tend to better control what you eat, and less amount of food will be consumed.
However, we should not think that the same thing happens with fruit in the form of juice, since it does not exert or provide the same effect. On the contrary, although it is true that it preserves most of the nutrients, it does not have its fiber (as it is retained in the pulp that we discard), and it does have most of its sugars, which will end up accumulating in the form of fat.
