Fruits have been a casualty of our obsession with Carbs. Now we are being told that Sugar is the real culprit, and this puts a big question on the wisdom of eating fruits. This article seeks to answer this question. Here are five things you may want to consider:
1. Eating whole fruits is healthy
Fruits contain antioxidants, vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. Increased fruit consumption has been tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of metabolic diseases. Most experts recommend eating multiple fruits of different colors. The portion size should be no more than a medium size bowl of fruit per person. As a second choice if eating whole fruits is not possible then dried fruits may be consumed instead (But the portion size should be no more than a small bowl).
2. Eating fruits in their season is a good idea
Like everything else fruits are best consumed fresh. While some fruits grow year round most are seasonal. Eating fruits in season will help you avoid high cost and will allow you to avoid artificially seasoned fruits. (Here is a chart of fruit seasonality: Fruit Seasonality Chart)
3. Fruits may help with sugar craving
Sugar is an addictive substance and those who are trying to cut off sugar from their diets will face withdrawal symptoms. These may come in the form of unstoppable cravings to eat sugary stuff. One great healthy way to take care of such cravings is to include fruits in your diet. This will take care of your sugar craving and should prevent you from binging on the really damaging stuff like cakes and cookies.
4. Be wary of fruit juices
The best fruit juice is the one to which nothing has been added or removed, nor has the pasteurizing process been applied to it. The fact is that you will likely not get anything resembling this in the grocery store. And even if it were available or you were to make one at home, you want to be cautious with it. The reasons are two fold. One is that the sugar content of the fruit becomes more “available” for rapid absorption when it is juiced. This may lead to a damaging sugar spike in the blood stream. The other problem is that rapid ingestion of the juice may lead to an over consumption, as you may be able to consume large quantities before the satiety signal has the chance to head you off.
5. Before noon may be the best time for fruits
As per Ayurveda the best time to consume fruits is before noon. If you can substitute your breakfast with a serving of mixed freshly cut fruits, it will give you a quick energy boost in the morning. Another alternate is to consume fruits between breakfast and lunch.
Fruits are one of the rare food categories that are both tasty and healthy. Let us not miss out on the wonderful treats that fruits are.
Related: NY Times article- Making the case for eating fruit.
Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.
very useful information for all.