What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Fruit Before A Meal

We all know fruit is an important part of a healthy diet. As Medical News Today summarizes, fruits are a great source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, all of which are essential from a nutritional standpoint and can help reduce the risks of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. However, there is a lot of debate around when we should consume fruits to get the most benefits.

According to Healthline, diet guides abound with tips about only eating fruit on an empty stomach to get more nutrients and jumpstart your digestive system. It turns out these theories are incorrect. As Healthline explains, the human digestive system is designed to absorb as many nutrients as possible from food and is always ready to get to work. Eating things separately from each other or at different times of day does not impact how much nutritional value they hold for us. However, it could impact the quantities we eat and the speed at which our bodies digest foods.

While there is no set timetable for when we should be eating the four servings of fruit per day recommended by the American Heart Association — even if we slip them in to fruit dessert recipes — there can be advantages to how we time our meals.

Healthline explains that there is no bad time to eat fruit, but it does note that eating fruit before your main breakfast, lunch, or dinner could be beneficial if you're looking to lose weight. This is because of the fiber content in fruit. SFGate notes that fiber acts as "a special kind of carbohydrate" which we do not absorb calories from, but which fills us up. By eating high-fiber fruits before a meal, we are more likely to feel fuller faster and for longer, which may make us feel naturally inclined to eat less at mealtimes. Additionally, Healthline notes that eating fruit with or right before a meal may cause the fruit to be digested slower, which can protect you from blood sugar spikes that can come with eating fruit on its own.