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Eating fruits is essential for health, especially if you're on a diet. You might be wondering about the best time to have fruits. Some people say you should have them early in the day, while others recommend them as evening or nighttime snacks. Which is better? It’s best to eat fruit in the morning because it provides energy for body functions like metabolism, digestion, and detoxification. Plus, it boosts your immune system. Eating fruits at night isn’t a good idea. Besides the proper time, you need the right amount to avoid bloating and high blood sugar. In this guide, we'll tell you about the benefits of having fruits early in the day. We'll also discuss the side effects of eating fruits at night or overeating them. Go to top Benefits of Eating Fruit in the Morning Boosts Metabolism Kickstart your morning metabolism by including fruits in your breakfast. The nutrients in the fruits quickly turn into energy so you can digest your food better. Fruits also contain significant amounts of sugar and amino acids, which facilitate the digestion process. Helps Detoxification Your body functions, such as metabolism, produce harmful chemicals or toxins; the body needs to remove them through detoxification, which happens between 7-11 am. Detoxification requires lots of energy, and morning fruits can provide that. The detoxifying properties of fruit bring you brighter eyes and skin. If you have skin problems like rashes or feel tired, you should eat more fruits to heal. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons can also help cleanse your body since they contain vitamin C, which is a detoxifying nutrient. Improves Digestion You can easily avoid indigestion symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating by eating fruits every morning. That’s because it helps the stomach remove old waste by providing the essential fiber and enzymes. Moreover, the fiber in fruits gives bulk to stool and prevents constipation. Fruits such as bananas and mangos have digestive enzymes that accelerate chemical reactions and turn nutrients into absorbable substances. Enhances the Immune System Eating fruits at the right time positively affects your immune system because your intestine absorbs higher levels of fruit vitamins and antioxidants in the morning. The antioxidants help boost your immune system by preventing cell-damaging reactions, which could lead to cancer and Alzheimer's. Plus, most fruits are rich in Vitamin C. This water-soluble vitamin helps your immune system prevent and fight infections, and its absorption is optimal in the morning, especially on an empty stomach. Contrary to what some people think, eating fruits in the morning on an empty stomach doesn't harm your organs. That's because fruits create an alkaline environment, which balances body pH and improves immune system function. Go to top What Are the Ways to Eat Fruit in the Morning? The way you eat fruits in the morning can affect your mood all day and prevent maldigestion or high blood sugar. Here are a few tips to help you find the best way to eat fruits: Eat fruits after drinking a glass of water. It helps flush out fruit sugar in diabetic people. Add fruits to your cereal. Adding fruits like bananas, strawberries, and mangos to your cereal makes it taste naturally sweet and fruity. This natural sweetness means you won’t have to add extra sugar to your morning meals. Make yourself smoothies and juice. Turning fruits into smoothies isn’t always the best option since they contain more sugar and fewer nutrients, but half a cup with breakfast won’t hurt. Add dry fruits to your morning meal. Hikers can add dry fruits to their breakfast since they’re handy and provide enough energy. You can also add dried figs, bananas, or apricots to your morning cereal. Go to top How Much Fruit Should You Eat for Breakfast? You should eat everything in moderation to maintain proper health. A healthy adult should eat 1-2 portions of fruit every morning, which equals ½ cup or a small apple. Daily consumption can differ depending on your age and gender. For example, adults need more fruit than children, and more physically active individuals also need more fruits. They should eat five servings of fruit—e.g., five cups of sliced apple or five apples about the size of your fist. Go to top Why Is Eating Fruit Bad at Night? Your body winds down at night, and your organs go into a resting state. That's the general reason you shouldn't eat fruits in the evening or before going to bed. Here are a few more side effects: Causes Insomnia The high sugar levels in fruits give you extra energy, make you more alert, and change your sleep patterns. Since digestion slows down at night, eating fruits then causes stomach heaviness, which may keep you awake and uncomfortable. Leads to Indigestion Fruits contain lots of fiber, which may take longer to digest. So, when you have an apple at night, the fibers are only partially digested, and your stomach becomes acidic. If you're suffering from digestive problems and acid reflux, eating fruits at night could worsen your condition. Results in Weight Gain During metabolism, glucose turns into fuel for body functions. The process becomes slower at night, so your body doesn't burn glucose completely and stores it as fat. Ultimately, this can increase your blood sugar and lead to obesity and fatty liver disease. If you eat fruits with dinner, you add more calories to the big meal. Dinner's protein, fat, and carbs interfere with fruit digestion, which causes fruits to lose their nutrition, and more sugar turns to fat. Go to top Why Is Fruit Important in Our Diet? Fruits are an essential part of our diet since they're low in fat, rich in nutrients, and high in fiber. Here are a few more reasons why they're essential: Antioxidant-Rich Fruit colors hint at the different antioxidants they contain, such as lycopene and chlorophyll. Red fruits contain lycopene, which keeps your heart healthy, and green fruits containing chlorophyll, which protects the body against cancer. Antioxidants can also bring you softer and brighter skin plus shiny hair and prevent cell damage, potentially resulting in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Healthy Snack Fruits can be a fantastic alternative to unhealthy snacks because they can replace high-calorie food ingredients with lower-calorie alternatives. If you're on a diet, eating cookies may not be the right thing to do since they're fatty and sweet. Mashed bananas can replace flour and sugar to make your morning cookies diet-friendly and taste naturally sweet. Anti Depression Fruits contain anti-depressant nutrients that put you in a good mood. Their fiber carbs, vitamins like B12 can have miraculous anti-depressant effects. Inadequate levels of B12 could cause depression and anxiety. That's because the vitamin contributes to neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that affect mood, emotions, and sleeping by sending proper messages to your brain. Go to top Why Is Too Much Fruit Bad for You? Although fruits are a healthy and perfect snack, you should be careful about how much you eat. After all, overeating fruits can negate their positive effects and cause unwanted consequences. These signs can let you know that you need to eat less: You’re Bloated All the Time If you bloat and feel abdominal pain after eating fruits, it may be a sign that you're overeating. We need fiber for digestion, but too much of it could slow down gut functions and cause bloating. Fruit sugar, called fructose, may cause bloating if it doesn't go through metabolization. Some people suffering from fructose malabsorption can also feel bloated after consuming too much fruit since their liver leaves fructose unburned. Fruits like apples, melons, and plums are more likely to cause bloating. However, you can replace them with other choices, including bananas, lemons, or strawberries. You Crave for Sugar If you're always looking for something sweet despite frequently having fruit, it could be a sign that you have too much fruit in your diet. When you have a piece of fruit, your blood sugar levels increase, but the surge doesn't last long. You'll feel hungry after half an hour and start to crave sugar again. That's why overeating fruits increases your blood sugar. Your Blood Sugar Level Is High Imagine what happens if you eat three bananas in the morning, a few slices of watermelon in the afternoon, and a couple of mangoes before going to bed! Your blood sugar will go through the roof. And if you keep up the routine for a while, you'll become prediabetic. Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar level goes higher than usual and puts you at risk for developing type two diabetes. Go to top Conclusion It's best to eat fruits in the morning since they're vitamin-rich and give your body the energy it needs to metabolize your food and remove waste. If your goal is to lose weight or reduce blood sugar, go for fruits that contain less sugar and avoid smoothies. Although fruits contain lots of beneficial nutrients, you shouldn't eat them late in the evening. That's when your body is at its lowest activity level, so the fiber can't be fully digested, and your stomach becomes acidic. What's more, you'll have trouble sleeping on a full stomach and could gain weight.

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