Which is the most important food you can eat when you are sick? Looking for a pick me up food which can give you instant energy and beat sugar cravings? Fruits are nature’s fast food and also called superfoods, not for nothing.

Why are fruits important?

For many people, eating fruits is not a regular affair; it’s not a ‘must’. Either they don’t eat fruits at all or eat fruit as a snack, in between their main meals. But guess what, there is so much they are missing out on!! Fruits can actually be a meal in itself & have huge health benefits.

1. Fruits are our natural food. Nature has designed our bodies to pluck & eat, fruits fit the bill.
2. Fruits are energizers. They are rich in natural sugars & hence instantly provide energy. Next time you feel low on energy, just enjoy a fruit & see the impact.
3. Fruits are nutritious. Eat a variety of fruits, follow the rule of always choosing whole, local, seasonal & fresh.
4. Fruits are easy-to-digest foods, they take the least amount of time to be digested by the body vis-à-vis other foods. They stay in the stomach for a very short time, post which they break down & release nutrients in the intestines. Easy-to-digest foods are important for our body, else the body is always working hard on digestion. Our body is like a machine, the more it works, the more is the wear & tear. Fruits are especially important when one is sick as they give body digestive rest, to focus on curing the illness.
5. The most effective way of cleansing toxic waste in the body is through consumption of fruits. As fruits are easy-to-digest, it gives rest to the digestive tract & thereby frees up energy to be utilized in cleansing. Accumulation of wastes leads to weight gain & illnesses.
6. Fruits are alkaline & hence contribute to keeping the body’s acid-alkaline balance. There are some fruits like oranges & pineapples that are called acidic. But don’t get confused, that is just a botanical classification. Once inside the body, all fruits become alkaline if they are correctly consumed. We keep in good health when the body’s acid-alkaline ratio is in balance. An acidic or overly alkaline body leads to illnesses.
7. Fruits are high in water content. High naturally occurring water-based fruits are important to keep the body functioning like a well-oiled machine.
8. Fruits are easy to eat. Just peel or chop or bite into whole fruits. They are your best companions when traveling.

So what is the right way of eating fruits?

How to eat fruits?

1. Eat fruits alone. Do not mix them with veggies, nuts or any other food item.
2. Do not mix salt, pepper or chat masala with fruits. Fruits have a natural flavor, mixing them with additional condiments masks their subtle flavor and taste. They also make them more difficult to digest.
3. Fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach or 45 minutes before a meal, to prevent fermentation in the gut.
4. If you want to have it after a cooked meal, keep a gap of about 2 hours.
5. It is better to eat the fruit raw rather than stewing or baking. When fruits are cooked, all the useful bacteria and enzymes in fruits get destroyed.
6. Fruits should be eaten as the first meal of the day - Fruit is easily digested, it provides more energy than it uses in the digestive process. You need energy surplus in your body to kick start the day instead of energy deficiency caused by efforts to digest a heavy breakfast.
7. Choose local, seasonal, and ripe fruits.
    

Eating fruit in wrong combinations can lead to discomfort. For eg: You eat a paratha and then you eat an apple. The apple can go through the stomach into the intestines fairly quickly, but is unable to because paratha is blocking the way. The apple may sit there & rot & the rot may spread to the paratha meal that is touching the rotten apple in the stomach. The correct way would be to eat the apple first, give a gap of half an hour to an hour & then eat the paratha. By the time the paratha reaches the stomach, apple would have left & no problems will occur.

Hence, eat fruit the right way.

Did you know? - The body signals its need for sugar in the form of sugar cravings. If you increase your intake of fruits, the body gets natural sugars & sugar cravings vanish. Isn’t that a wonderful way to lose weight?

Conclusion

Go ahead & include fruits in your everyday routine. Have a generous serving every morning & evening. A platter of fruits can be a meal by itself. Also include dry fruits in your diet. Dry fruit means that the water has been removed from the fruit. For eg: dates, apricots, raisins, prunes, figs, etc. Banana, chikoo, mangoes & apples can also be easily dried & eaten as dry fruit.