Fruit After Meals: Healthy Habit or Just a Myth?
Finishing a meal and craving a fruit dessert? Some say it might not be as healthy as you think. Let's unravel this with expert advice.
Is eating fruit after a meal detrimental to your health, or quite the opposite? This question came up during the radio show of dietitian Dr. Maya Rosman on 103FM, and she provided some clarity: "Once and for all, is it okay to eat fruit right after a meal? Yes, absolutely."
Dr. Rosman explained, "From a health perspective, there's no problem eating fruit after or even during a meal (like a component of an interesting salad), just as there's no issue with eating vegetables before or during a meal. Practically speaking, there's no difference between fruits and vegetables except for the sugar content. Eating fruit right after a meal has health benefits—the vitamin C in fruit aids iron absorption. If a meal containing meat also includes fruits or vegetables, more iron will be absorbed from the meat. Eating fruit after a meal doesn't affect acidity, definitively."
She added that the meal digests according to its components, and the amount of acid secreted mainly depends on the protein amount. "A fruit immediately after a meal doesn't affect acidity. One should remember: fruit equals snack. If you eat it right after a meal, you've 'used up' your mid-day snack, which might feel like a loss," she noted. "That's the only reason I think it's better to wait with the fruit (or any snack) until the afternoon."
One fruit Dr. Rosman recommended is the banana. "Bananas have unique benefits that make them one of the most recommended fruits, and here are the reasons: (and a banana sandwich idea). Bananas are very easy to digest. They're soft and gentle on the stomach, suitable for people with sensitive stomachs or inflammation, seniors, and even toddlers. They help regulate bowel movements without causing constipation! They reduce diarrhea, but that doesn't mean they cause constipation."
She added, "Bananas contain a lot of magnesium, essential for muscle function, and combined with carbohydrates and dietary fibers, they're a perfect snack after physical activity for muscle recovery. They're versatile in any form—warm, fried, cold, or frozen, in cookies, muffins, banana breads, pancakes, shakes, ice creams, and even dried."
