Is fruit in the afternoon bad?

SweetLove1988 wrote: »

Lately after dinner, if I’m craving something sweet I usually eat a fruit. Cherries, grapes, strawberries. I’ve had two separate people tell me that eating fruit late is horrible for you. I’m just wondering everyone’s opinion? Does it really matter on the time you eat fruit? Morning vs night? Why do people think fruit is bad for you?

Fruit is full of nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, enzymes, etc. It's good for you. Anything in excess is usually not good.

What matters is the balance and amount in a 24 hour period. The whole picture, extended out 7 days, 30 days, 60 and 90 days. There is not enough information here to give an answer but right off the bat, no it's not bad for you, in fact it's good for you.

Millicent3015 wrote: »

SweetLove1988 wrote: »

Lately after dinner, if I’m craving something sweet I usually eat a fruit. Cherries, grapes, strawberries. I’ve had two separate people tell me that eating fruit late is horrible for you. I’m just wondering everyone’s opinion? Does it really matter on the time you eat fruit? Morning vs night? Why do people think fruit is bad for you?

There was a diet fad theory floating around some years ago that fruit eaten late would ferment in the stomach overnight. Maybe that's what the people naysaying your fruit heard somewhere and took it as gospel. Our stomach acids are very powerful and can break down just about anything at any time of day, especially something as easily digestible as fruit. I would ignore those people, they need to handle their own diet anxieties, not put them on you.

Yes, 'must eat fruit on an empty stomach' sounds like the 'Fit for Life' nonsense I fell for in the 90s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fit_for_Life#Scientific_reception

Scientific reception

Health experts and science writers have dismissed the book as quackery.[8][9][10]

The rigor of study underlying Harvey Diamond's credentials have been disputed, which has drawn questions about his competence to write about nutrition, because his doctoral degree came from the American College of Life Science, a non-accredited correspondence school founded in 1982 by T.C. Fry, who did not graduate high school or undergo a formal accreditation process himself. FFL's personalized diet program has been criticized for providing a "Clinical Manual" that is heavily infused with alternative medicine claims about how the body works, some of which may be scientifically inaccurate or not accepted by conventional medicine.[1]

Despite the fact that FFL web site mentioned "clinical trials", many of the proposed principles and benefits of FFL diet are not supported by citations to any scholarly research, and some of the claims have actually been directly refuted by scientific research. For example, a dissociated diet as that advertised by FFL is no more effective for weight loss than a calorie-restricted diet.[1][11]

The only way this can get tricky is if you, yourself suffers from gastritis or esophagitis. My doctor had advised to refrain from eating fruit after a meal because things tend to ferment and produce gas. Hope this helps.

I have heard an old wives tale that certain fruits before bed can cause nightmares. Probably why there is published research on this topic. (Although this paper pertains to food in general, not fruit). I've also been told this same 'advice' by my mother and other women in the older generation. I've never personally noticed any truth to it, but it's put me off eating an apple at bedtime.

I sometimes get that sweet craving after dinner too. Either a nice square of dark chocolate hits the spot, but yum ... cherries and berries every night would be awesome, if I could afford them.

tarcotti wrote: »

All I know is any time I eat fruit instead of something processed, my blood sugar (I'm diabetic) is WONDERFUL afterwards, this is true any time of the day. So that's pretty much the rule I live by.

hmmm. my sugar goes up after i eat fruit (also a diabetic), especially grapes, but my doc says it's ok because long term it keeps things level. i'm a diabetic newbie so i don't understand, but if it means i can eat delicious delicious fruit i'm not gonna argue. i just stick to the serving sizes, as i do with everything i eat.

As a Type 2 Diabetic, that is really working on getting off all my diabetes medicine by trying to keep my blood sugars pretty level and not fluctuate very much. It has been suggested to me not to eat fruit after 4PM. And to make protein my last snack of the day. But this is totally based on the fact that I have been able to drop 2 medications totally. And I want off the insulin as well. And to keep the blood sugar in range, eating even fruit with it's natural sugar will spike it overnight. But if I have it early enough in the day, and say take a walk. It has controlled it.

Chances are most people would not know anything about this slight increase in sugar that impacts diabetics. So I say if you have no health issue just keep eating that fruit.

Timing doesn't matter. Just keep yourself in your macro targets for each 24 hour period.