Wrong facts about the best time to eat fruits - part 2

In the last post we considered two wrong facts, we will be looking at another two today.

3. If You Have Diabetes, You Should Eat Fruit 1–2 Hours Before or After Meals

The idea is that people with diabetes often have digestive problems, and eating fruit separately from meals somehow improves digestion.

Unfortunately, this is rather bad advice for most people who have diabetes.

There is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that eating fruit separately from a meal improves digestion.

The only difference it might make is that the sugar contained in fruit may enter the bloodstream faster, which is exactly what a person with diabetes should try to avoid.

Rather than eating fruit separately, eating it with a meal or as a snack paired with a food high in protein, fiber or fat is a much better choice for someone with diabetes.

This is because protein, fiber and fat can cause your stomach to release food into the small intestine more slowly.

The benefit of this for someone with diabetes is that a smaller amount of sugar is absorbed at a time, leading to a smaller rise in blood sugar levels overall.

For example, studies have shown that just 7.5 grams of soluble fiber — which is found in fruit — can decrease the rise in blood sugar after a meal by 25%.

However, it's true that some people with diabetes develop digestive problems.

The most common issue is called gastroparesis. It happens when the stomach empties slower than normal or not at all.

Although dietary changes can help with gastroparesis, eating fruit on an empty stomach is not one of them.

BOTTOM LINE:For the majority of diabetics, eating fruit on an empty stomach isn’t great advice. Pairing fruit with a meal or snack is usually a better choice.

4. The Best Time of Day to Eat Fruit Is the Afternoon

There is no real logic behind this idea, and there is also no evidence to support it.

It is claimed that your metabolism slows down in the afternoon and eating a food that's high in sugar, such as fruit, raises your blood sugar levels and "wakes up" your digestive system.

The truth is that any carb-containing food will temporarily increase your blood sugar while glucose is being absorbed, regardless of the time of day.

However, apart from providing your body with energy and other nutrients, this has no special benefit.

There is no need to "wake up" your digestive system, as it's always prepared to jump into action the moment that food touches your tongue, no matter the time of day.

And while eating a meal high in carbs might temporarily cause your body to use carbs as fuel, it doesn't change the overall rate of your metabolism.

The truth is that there's no harm in eating fruit in the morning. Fruit is healthy any time of the day.

BOTTOM LINE:There is no evidence or logic behind the idea that fruit should preferably be eaten in the afternoon. Fruit is healthy no matter what time it is.