I recently received an enquiry from a potential client who also sent me a diet sheet. It looked really very complete but one thing I spotted straightaway was the inclusion of fruit with the meal – usually after as a dessert.
Another enquirer complained about bloating in the mornings after eating “about 3 spoons of bifidus organic plain yoghurt … on fruit”
In Ayurvedic nutrition – based on a system over 5000 years old – it is considered better to eat fruit alone or leave it alone. There are scientific reasons for this.
Fruit digests much more quickly than other food and should be free to leave the stomach quickly. If you mix it with other foods it tends to ferment because digestion is delayed. So it’s better to eat fruit away from food. If you do have it served with a meal, (I know this happens a lot with airline meals) either eat it first and then wait for a few minutes before starting to eat the rest of the food or keep it for eating later.
As regards the bloating I suggested experimenting having the fruit in the morning without the yogurt for at least a week and observing how the body feels. Though there may be other factors at work, the digestive system can only benefit from having a lighter load to deal with.
3 Responses
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Thanks for this interesting post, Janet. I often have some fresh fruit with natural yoghurt so I’m going to try eating the fruit on its own and see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the tip!
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Hi Janet:
Great to have this tip about fruit reinforced! My wife mentioned this to me years ago about eating fruit separately from a main meal (and I always listen to her!). She often has fruit in between meals, especially for a quick pick me up.
Also, when we go to a restaurant and feel like dessert, I always request that we have it served first. We get some funny looks from the staff, but that’s okay – we get to enjoy the dessert and then have a lighter serving for the main meal. Much better than going home feeling bloated.
Enjoy your tips – keep them coming!
Cheers,
Scott
February 24th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Thanks for sharing, Karen and Scott. Glad you enjoy the tips.
Fruit is considered a healthy option so it’s interesting to look at how our individual interaction with it can change the effect it has for each of us.
That’s why in Ayurveda what’s important is not only what you eat but how you digest it.
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