fruit first?

[cheech]

I've heard in a few places that fruit is digested best on an empty stomach, and so the best time to eat it is first thing in the morning.

Am looking for more information on this. Has anyone else heard this? Does anyone have any information on how/why this is better for you?

Also, if anyone has any information on how much fruit should be eaten then (will too much cause a blood sugar spike?), and how long you should wait after eating the fruit before eating again (I feel like it should be less than the 2-4 hours it normally takes to digest food, but can't really back this up), it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

chica

[Joeschmoe]

Yes, you should eat fruit first. If you eat anything else first the fruit can ferment in your stomach and be quite unpleasant. You can eat as much fruit as you like, it is low in calories and high in nutrients. And it won't make your blood sugar spike. Yes, the calories in fruit come from simple sugars, but they are released slowly due to the soluble fiber and water content. Fruit actually increases your insulin sensitivity, meaning you need less to do the job. Don't be afraid of fruit, its a great food.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Joeschmoe

And it won't make your blood sugar spike. Yes, the calories in fruit come from simple sugars, but they are released slowly due to the soluble fiber and water content.

This depends on the fruit. For example, pineapple and watermelon are high GI, citrus fruits, apples & grapes are low, mangoes and apricots are medium.

[Joeschmoe]

Unfortunately the GI system is a little busted for fruit (as well as other things). It's all got fiber and high water content.

* GI takes into account only the resulting glucose in blood chemistry, with no consideration of the effect of other sugars, particularly fructose. An example is Coca-Cola. While already having a medium GI rating, Coca-Cola actually contains even more sugar than is otherwise being accounted for by the GI, as it contains HFCS 55, meaning that for each serving, the 55% fructose is not being accounted for. High levels of fructose cause the same blood sugar spike as a similar amount of glucose[citation needed]. While fructose does not produce the large insulin response of glucose [3], it can cause its own set of health problems, due to an increase in plasma lipids. [4]
* The GI does not take into consideration other factors besides glycemic response, such as insulin response, which can be more appropriate in representing the effects from some food contents other than carbohydrates.
* A person's glycemic response varies (not the GI) depending on the kind of food, its ripeness, the length of time it was stored, how it was cooked, and its variety (white potatoes are a notable example, ranging from moderate to very high GI even within the same variety [5]).
* The GI of a food varies from person to person and even in a single individual from day to day, depending on blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, and other factors.
* The GI of a mixed meal is very difficult to predict. For example, fats and proteins can make a meal sit in the stomach longer, which reduces a food's GI.
* This criticism can be addressed by taking the Glycemic load into account.

You will find that due to their low calorie density all fruits are low on the GL scale. Therefore having little impact on insulin response. Take a look at Steve's 30 day raw trial. He ate nothing but fruit and greens for 30 days and his blood sugar never spikes above 95.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by Keith

This depends on the fruit. For example, pineapple and watermelon are high GI, citrus fruits, apples & grapes are low, mangoes and apricots are medium.

Yeah I fully agree. Eat enough fructose and your bloodsugar is going to spike.

Now for some people that's not a problem, for some people it is.

[Joeschmoe]

You are correct, however. I wish that people would separate fructose, actually mostly glucose and sucrose, in whole unprocessed fruit, and corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. Corn syrup has no fiber, water, or protective nutrients. It's also highly calorie dense. 100g is 281 calories where 100 grams of banana (one of the most calorie dense fruit) is only 89, and it has the mitigating fiber, water content, and protective nutrients still intact.

Let's just keep in mind that not all sugars are the same, and not all are harmful.

[danas]

I have been almost only eating fruit in the morning for years.
I have a sweet craving in the morning, and I usually start my day with an apple or 2, or a fruit shake.
sometimes I add goat yogurt. eating anything else in the morning leaves me feeling heavy, and wanting to go back to sleep.
Ill eat only that till lunch.
Although lately I have been instead drinking a vegetable shake with celery, red beets, carrot and a golden apple, yum!