From an Ayurvedic perspective, fresh fruit is considered very light and easy to digest – comparatively lighter than other foods. When it is eaten with (or after) heavier foods, it stays in the stomach for as long as the heaviest food takes to digest. As a result, it generally stays in the stomach for too long, is “overcooked” by our digestive juices and begins to ferment.
In Ayurveda, this resultant over-cooked, fermented mess is referred to as “Ama” or improperly digested food toxins.
Eating Fruit Immediately Before and After Meals
The damp, acidic waste of the fermented food accumulates in our digestive tract where it can affect our digestion – hampering the excretion of our digestive juices, the absorption of nutrients and potentially contributing to indigestion, food sensitivities, and gut inflammation.
If it continues to accumulate, it can “overflow” from the gastrointestinal tract into our subtle channels and tissues where it obstructs cellular nutrition and waste disposal. This, in turn, can cause the manifestation of a disease, according to Ayurveda.
[expert_opinion expertname=’toddcaldecott’ opinion=” Sweet fruits undergo very little in the way of digestion within the stomach, and when eaten with or after foods rich in protein or fat, interfere with the digestion of these heavier foods. This results in improperly digested food, which then impacts the bacterial ecology of the gut, causing problems such as reflux, gas, and bloating.”]
Ayurvedic Rules For Eating Fruits
- Eat fresh fruit separately from other foods, especially heavy foods like dairy foods and grains.
- Wait for at least half an hour before eating some other food.
- Some fruits can be eaten as a snack all day long, but some shouldn’t be eaten in the evening.
- However, the most suitable time to have a fruit is morning: it should be the first food of the day and eaten on an empty stomach. All fruits except for citrus ones can be eaten in the morning (bananas, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, kiwi, and mango).
- Watermelon should be eaten strictly on its own. Melon is a separate snack too.
- All berries (cherries, grapes, blueberries, and raspberries) except for strawberries are good for breakfast, but they should not be eaten in the evening with an exception of grapes.