Fruits are generally low in calories and high in fiber and water content, which makes them ideal food for weight loss. Fruits are nature’s ready made snack packed with vitamin and other nutrients which support a healthy diet. Health experts and ayurveda believe that there are certain times of the day which are ideal for consumption of fruits. There are some common mistakes which can be easily avoided while consuming fruits. These common mistakes are the reason for fruits causing harm to the digestive system and creating toxicity in our body.
Some basic facts
- Fruits are most easy to diegst and are probably the most nutrirional and healty food on earth
- Fruits are loaded with almost all nutrients like fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals
- Fruits are rich in antioxidants. Polyphenols, phytochemicals and nartural sugars like sucrose and fructose
- They are an amazing source of healthy enzymes and prebiotics which becomes a food for the healthy gut bacteria and helps them in growth
- Most of the fruits only take about 20 minutes to digest except bananas which takes about 40 minutes to digest
Different categories of fruits
- Sweet fruits : Bananas, dates, dries fruits, papaya, sapote etc
- Semi acidic fruits : Apple, mangoes, apricot, peaches, pear, plum, cherries, grapes etc
- Acidic (citrus) fruits : Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, lime, lemon, pineapple, strawberries etc
- Melons : Watermelons, muskmelons, honeydews, persian, casaba etc
- High fat fruits : Avocado, coconut, olives, durians etc
Best time to eat fruits
- Always consume ripe fruits
- Morning / at sun rise (0800 to 1100 hours) : Sweet fruits, semi acidic fruits, melons and dried fruits provide instant energy to kick start your morning
- Noon / when the sun is at peak (1100 to 1500 hours), preferably one hour before lunch : Acidic fruits, semi citrus fruits or melons since it improves digestion and ensures complete utilisation
- 15 minutes before evening herbal / green tea (1500 to 1600 hours) : Acidic fruits. The citric acid will help in better absorption of nutrients from herbs and green tea
- Consume fruits as separate meal or snacks, avoid consuming them with the main meal
- Fruits are easy and quick to digest but when combined with the main meal they get stuck with the heavy food that digests slowly and therefore the fruit starts to decompose and degrade
- When eaten with the main meal, the nutrients in the fruits are not absorbed properly
Which fruit to eat ?
- Fruits which are in season and are locally available should be consumed
- Avoid consuming fruits which are exotic or not in season
- Avoid consuming fruits which are chemically ripened
- Buy fruits which look naturally old and worn out, with some brown spots and marks
- Do not buy great shiny looking fruits, buy your fruits from the local vendors
How many fruits to eat ?
- Dietary recommendations say that one should eat between 80 to 400 grams of fruit daily
- 80 grams fruits would mean a medium sized apple
- On a average, 1-4 fruits on a daily basis are recommended
- Studeis have proven that people who consumed even 6 – 7 fruits daily showed no side effects
- However, sticking to the basics and consuming 1-2 servings of fruits daily is highly recommended
How to eat fruits ?
- Have fruits full rather than consuming fruit juice
- Avoid cutting and storing fruits for future consumption
- People with weak digestion can add herbs and spices like cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg to support diegstion
Best combination of fruits
- Always try to consume one single fruit at a time
- Avoid making chats or fruit salads
- Sweet fruits are best combined with dried fruits
- Sweet fruits with sweet or semi acidic fruits
- Acidic fruits with acidic fruits
- Melons shouldn’t be combined with any fruits
- Do not combine fruits with milk (except properly ripe fruits like mango and banana)
- Citrus fruits and milk are a big no
- Use plant milk instead in all your smoothies