Apples contain many nutrients that are good for health but should only be eaten at some times. There are certain moments when eating an apple can cause discomfort and heaviness in the stomach, so it’s essential to know when to avoid them.
According to Western belief, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This saying is based on the nutritional content found in each apple.
This fruit contains fiber and vitamin C, and the antioxidants present in apples are almost the highest among fruits. On average, an apple provides 17% of the daily fiber requirement for adults. Apples are also suitable for diabetic patients because they are high in minerals and potassium but have a low sugar content.
A study on apple consumption in postmenopausal women showed that those who ate an apple every day for one year had a 23% reduction in bad cholesterol (LDL). The reason is that the pectin in apples binds with cholesterol and helps to remove it from the body.
Apples help regulate blood sugar levels and control cravings. According to several studies, apples are also beneficial for weight loss.
Nutritional composition of apples
Below is the nutritional information for a 100g serving of raw apple with skin:
- Calories: 52
- Carbs: 13.8 grams
- Sugar: 10.4 grams
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Protein: 0.3 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Vitamin C: 8% daily value (DV)
- Potassium: 3% DV
- Magnesium: 1% DV
The best time to eat an apple
Nutrition experts say that morning is the best time to eat an apple. The body digests all the food during the night. Eating an apple on an empty stomach in the morning can help you replenish the sugar lost in your body after a night’s sleep.
If you want your body to absorb the necessary nutrients, you should have an apple as a morning snack, combining it with other foods like oats, milk, eggs, etc.
However, those in good health should not eat apples in the morning as they can harm the stomach. For those with digestive issues, eating acidic fruit containing a lot of tannins and potent protease (a group of hydrolytic enzymes) can cause adverse reactions in the stomach. Apples have a low level of acidity, but the amount of tannin taken on an empty stomach can also make the body uncomfortable.
Three times you should not eat apples
Between meals
Eating an apple at this time can affect the absorption of nutrients and increase the burden on the digestive process. If you eat apples along with other foods, it can easily overload the stomach.
Before going to bed at night
Apples are acidic, and eating them before bedtime can increase stomach acid secretion, causing a feeling of fullness and affecting sleep. Additionally, the digestive system needs to rest now, so digesting food will increase the burden on the stomach.
It would help if you did not eat many apples in the evening because eating late is unsuitable for digestion, as it can convert the sugars in apples into fats that accumulate in the body. If you want to eat an apple in the evening, eating it at least one hour before bed or earlier is best.
Immediately after a meal
Eating an apple right after a meal can obstruct the stomach. The food you ate previously can increase the load on the digestive system, causing the stomach to feel heavy and uncomfortable. It’s best to eat an apple about 2 hours after a meal.
Should you eat an apple on an empty stomach?
Eating an apple on an empty stomach in the morning is a good idea because apples are rich in fiber, particularly pectin, in their skin. Since most people have digestive issues due to improper sleep or late-night eating habits, consuming an apple right after waking up can stimulate bowel movements better than any other fruit.
Pectin can also help protect lactic acid and assist the bacteria it contains to grow better in the colon. This will lead to a healthier digestive tract. Additionally, pectin in apples can help remove toxins as it leads to the elimination of carcinogenic substances.
Eating an apple before breakfast can bring you the following benefits.
Healthy heart
Apples help prevent your arteries from getting clogged, a common cause of coronary artery disease. This effect of apples is due to the phenolic compounds in apple skins. These compounds help prevent cholesterol from entering your system and becoming hardened on the artery walls.
Reduce the risk of stroke and diabetes.
Research shows that eating apples may help reduce the risk of stroke and the development of diabetes. While it cannot be said that eating apples alone will prevent these diseases, many studies indicate that people who eat apples have a lower risk of encountering these health conditions than those who do not.
Boost energy
If you want to complete your morning exercise routine, you must include an apple in your breakfast menu. This is because eating an apple before exercising can help increase your endurance.
Weight control
Apples can make you feel full quite quickly, and if you’re concerned about counting calories, an apple won’t increase your caloric intake significantly as they are relatively low in calories.
Maintain a low cholesterol level.
Eating apples is known to help people reduce their cholesterol levels. If you’re dealing with high cholesterol, an apple can benefit you thanks to its soluble fiber.
Should we eat apples for breakfast?
Eating an apple in the morning on an empty stomach is very beneficial; however, it should only be considered a light snack for breakfast. You should combine an apple with a healthy breakfast to maximize its benefits.
You shouldn’t eat an apple as a substitute for breakfast because a single apple does not provide enough energy to study or work effectively.
Should you eat an apple before or after a meal?
Eating an apple immediately after waking up, about 30 minutes before breakfast, is ideal. Alternatively, you can enjoy apples as a snack between meals to reap maximum benefits, including nutrient intake, weight loss, improved skin health, better digestion, and long-term well-being.
Researchers propose several hypotheses about why eating apples can promote weight loss.
Firstly, fruits like apples are “low energy density” foods – meaning they have a relatively low number of calories compared to other non-fruit foods.
Secondly, research has shown that consuming a high-fiber diet (equal caloric intake) promotes a feeling of fullness after meals, meaning we feel satiated longer after eating a meal rich in fiber.
Apples are an essential source of fiber, providing 5 grams per medium-sized apple. Finally, research has also indicated that a high-fiber diet reduces the total calories consumed, contributing to weight loss.
In other words, eating more fiber-rich fruits makes it difficult to overeat because consuming low-energy-density fruits like apples will crowd out different foods, reducing the total number of calories we take in.
While some recent studies have suggested that apples can provide a range of health benefits for the whole body, this is the first published research to demonstrate that eating an apple before each meal can help enhance weight loss.
However, we should not eat apples immediately after meals. This is because the food in our stomach has not yet been digested right after eating and consuming an apple at this time will increase the burden on the stomach and may cause discomfort in the digestive tract. It is best to eat apples 30 minutes after a meal.
What happens if you eat an apple in the evening?
Eating an apple in the evening, this digestive-supporting fruit has the opposite effect and interferes with your intestinal functions. This means that eating an apple at night can create gas and cause you severe discomfort.
Furthermore, the organic acids in apples can increase the stomach’s acidity beyond normal levels and may hinder bowel motility.
Some notes on eating apples to best absorb the nutrients.
- People with poor digestion should not eat apples on an empty stomach; instead, they should have porridge or warm soup.
- Even when time is limited, it’s still important to chew and swallow slowly so digestion and nutrient absorption can proceed smoothly.
- It’s advisable to peel apples before eating them, rather than eating them skin-on, as the outer layer may be sprayed with chemicals to keep them looking fresh, which can harm your health if consumed.
People Who Should Not Eat Apples
People with diabetes
Apples contain a high amount of sugar. Therefore, people with diabetes who consume many apples will experience an increase in blood sugar levels, which can exacerbate their condition. Individuals with high blood sugar should eat only a few apples.
People with excess internal heat
Individuals with excess internal heat may experience symptoms such as feeling overly warm, constipation, bad breath, sore throat, and inflamed gums. Since apples are warm in nature and sweet in flavor, consuming them in large quantities can be harmful.
People with the common cold
Those suffering from the common cold often have their bodies invaded by the pathogenic influences of cold or hot winds. Eating a lot of apples can increase the sticky and phlegm-like qualities, leading to the retention of these pathogenic influences. This is detrimental to health recovery.
People with phlegm dampness
Symptoms of individuals with phlegm dampness include a thick-coated tongue, sticky mouth, and loss of appetite. They often feel a sense of bloating in the stomach, and in severe cases, they may experience dizziness, nausea, and facial puffiness.
Consuming apples is not beneficial for these individuals as the slippery nature of apples can increase dampness, worsening symptoms such as loss of appetite and stomach bloating. People with this constitution should opt for foods that strengthen the spleen and benefit dampness, like Job’s tears (coix seed), red beans, taro, and loofah.
Apples are nutritious fruits, rich in fiber and vitamin C, beneficial for heart health and weight management. However, they should not be consumed anytime, especially between meals, before bed, or right after eating, to avoid indigestion.
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