Whose rumors about fruits did you believe?

Sweet, sour, juicy and nutritious fruits are a very important part of our daily diet. Therefore, there are always some rumors about them, whether on the Internet or in rumors. The most lethal point of rumors is that even if you don't take them seriously at first, you will start to accept them slowly after hearing them many times. Today, we will list some fruit rumors that have been spread for a long time and have a wide range of influence, and help you distinguish the truth from the false.

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01

Don’t eat fruits that are high in acid on an empty stomach?

You can't generalize!

The question of whether or not you can eat acidic fruits on an empty stomach cannot be generalized. For example, apples are fruits that are relatively acidic, but some people eat an apple when they are hungry, not only do they not feel gastrointestinal discomfort, but they can also reduce energy intake, which can help lose weight to a certain extent. However, people with poor gastrointestinal tract will feel some discomfort after eating apples on an empty stomach because certain specific ingredients in the fruit, such as tannins, react with stomach acid to form precipitation. For example, pomegranates and tomatoes contain some ingredients that stimulate gastric acid secretion or react with stomach acid to easily form precipitation. For friends with poor gastrointestinal tract, we recommend that you should try to avoid eating acidic fruits on an empty stomach.

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02

To ensure nutrient absorption, should you eat fruit before meals?

nonsense!

There is a saying circulating on the Internet: "If you eat first and then eat fruit, the fruit will be blocked by the main meal and cannot be digested directly. However, the fruit itself is more perishable than the main meal. By the time the fruit is digested, the nutrients have been lost and deteriorated, and all that is left is dregs." This argument, which sounds quite vivid, is incorrect. Combined with the above statement, if you cannot eat fruit on an empty stomach and you cannot eat fruit after a meal, then when should you eat fruit? Obviously, there is a logical problem here.

Let's discuss further, what is the conflict between eating a meal and eating fruit? If there is any conflict, it is because the stomach capacity is limited. If you eat too much of one, you will not be able to eat the other. The main component of fruit is water, followed by a small amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and trace amounts of water-soluble vitamins and minerals. The digestion and absorption of these nutrients has no direct connection with eating a regular meal.

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For some special groups of people, such as diabetic patients, it is recommended to eat a small amount of low GI (glycemic index) fruit between meals. On the one hand, the small amount of dietary fiber in the fruit helps delay the digestion and absorption of easily digestible carbohydrates in the staple food. On the other hand, eating appropriate amounts of post-meal fruit is also crucial to the nutritional balance of diabetic patients.

03

There are too many pesticide residues on the skin of fruits, so they can’t be eaten?

Don't worry!

Everyone must have heard the tongue twister: "Eat grapes without spitting out the grape skins." For fruits with skins, can their skins be eaten? Many people choose not to eat them because they are worried about the problem of pesticide residues. In fact, for water-soluble pesticides, after careful washing, no substances harmful to human health will remain. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently jointly with the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a new version of the "National Food Safety Standard Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides in Foods", which also more strictly stipulates the dosage of pesticide residues from the level of laws and regulations, so everyone does not need to worry too much about the problem of pesticide residues.

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From a nutritional point of view, the skin of fruits usually contains more dietary fiber, phytochemicals and other substances that are beneficial to health than the flesh. Therefore, it is recommended that you eat the edible skin of fruits as long as it is washed thoroughly.

04

How much fruit is best to eat?

Half a pound a day, have you reached the target?

There are also many misunderstandings about how much fruit should be eaten. Some people who want to lose weight believe that the more fruit they eat, the better, so that they can reduce the intake of staple food, which will help to lose weight. First of all, using fruit to replace part of the staple food is indeed conducive to energy control, but it does not mean that the more fruit you eat, the better. As we mentioned earlier, the nutrients in fruit are mainly water and a small amount of carbohydrates. Eating only fruit for a long time will lead to insufficient intake of some nutrients such as protein, vitamin A, B vitamins, etc., which is not good for health.

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Some people also think that fruits have a very high sugar content and that eating fruits without eating meals will make you fat. People who have this perception confuse the relationship between sweetness and fatness, thinking that sweetness means high energy and eating it will make you fat. In fact, the energy of the same weight of fruit is much lower than that of staple food. Therefore, there is no need to worry about gaining weight by eating fruits.

It should be noted that the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" points out that the recommended daily fruit intake for Chinese residents is 200-350 grams (about half a catty), but the current average fruit intake of Chinese residents is far from this standard. Here we also recommend that you should increase your fruit intake in moderation in your daily life to meet the body's needs for a balanced diet.

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05

Are out-of-season fruits unhealthy?

Keep the diversity!

With the improvement of living standards, the range of fruit choices is really getting wider and wider. No matter what season it is, nowadays, as long as you are willing to spend money, you can buy any fruit at any time to taste it. Especially when many elderly people buy fruits for their grandchildren, they are willing to spend a lot of money to buy off-season fruits. Many people disagree with this, because the reason is that off-season fruits are unhealthy.

We recommend that consumers focus on buying seasonal, locally produced fruits when purchasing fruits, while also maintaining a variety of fruit varieties. It is not accurate to believe that there are always unhealthy factors in the cultivation of off-season fruits.

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Whether there are factors that are not good for health in fruits and vegetables has no necessary connection with whether they are grown naturally or in greenhouses. With the promotion and application of modern agricultural technology, greenhouse fruit planting technology is becoming more and more mature. All preservatives, food additives, and plant growth regulators are harmless to human health as long as they are allowed to be used in accordance with relevant national standards and in the prescribed dosage.

Author: Guo Xiaohui, Lecturer, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University

Review | Gao Chao, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

References:

1. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)

2. GB 2763-2019 National Food Safety Standard Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides in Food

3. Liu, RH Health-promoting components of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Adv. Nutr. 2013, 4.

4. Aune, D.; Giovannucci, E.; Boffetta, P.; Fadnes, LT; Keum, NN; Norat, T.; Greenwood, DC; Riboli, E.; Vatten, LJ; Tonstad, S. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality-A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Int. J. Epidemiol. 2017, 46, 1029–1056.

5. Slavin, JU of M.; Lloyd Beate, PNGR Health Benefits Of Cassava-Karrapendalam. www.yadtek.com › Heal. › Diet Nutr. 2012, 3, 506–516.

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