One thing that has been part of Adhyant and Nirbhay’s daily diet since the time they started solids when they were 6 months old has been fruits. While Nirbhay loved all fruits from the get go – be it sweet or tart, Adhyant always had a preference for more sweeter fruits. Through regular exposure and offering, he too expanded his palate.
6 years later they both enjoy a wide variety of fruits on a regular basis. For them eating fruits is a pleasure, an accepted part of their routine and it has been a great way to ensure they get the nutrition they need.
I know however that isn’t the case with all children (or adults for that matter). So I’m going to elaborate a bit on how and why you should incorporate fruits into your child’s and your own daily diet.
How they help
Fruits form an important part of a balanced diet. The naturally occuring sugars in fruit – fructose, sucrose and glucose – provide energy. The fibre in fruit helps regulate our digestive system, developing good bacteria and controlling bad bacteria. The vitamins, minerals and enzymes that fruit provides build higher immunity and help vital functions of our body.
On an empty Stomach
Always try to have fruit on an empty stomach or at least 45 mins – 1 hour before a meal. This ensures the fruit will reach your intestines before you eat your next cooked meal.
If you eat fruit with or after your meal it decomposes with the meal. Fruits decompose quickly, leading the stomach to become acidic and results in the loss of nutrients. When eaten on an empty stomach fruits have detoxifying effects but not when they are consumed or mixed with other food.
Adhyant and Nirbhay have been following this pattern since the time they were babies. They wake up and have fruits in the morning – usually bananas and or some other seasonal fruit. Then they have another fruit snack in the evening.
Don’t go overboard
Almost all dietary recommendations advocate about 5 servings of fruit and veg per person per day. This doesn’t mean you should have 5 fruits at a time. Overeating of fruit can cause bloating due to fructose malabsorption which in turn leads to the growth of bad bacteria.
Stick to 1-2 fruits at a time. Most fruits come in a perfect serving size of a single fruit. For example, 1 apple, 1 orange, 1 large banana, 1 mango etc. For small fruits you can stick to a large cup size – like grapes, berries etc. For bigger fruits like melons, papaya, pineapple etc you can cut one whole fruit and divide it between family members. It’s best to consume the whole fruit once you cut it and avoid storing in the fridge or outside for long as some fruits can potentially develop bacteria like Salmonella.
Seasonal fruits
Choose fruits that are in season. In season fruits will obviously be more fresh, they would thereby have more nutrients and also taste better. This summer is offering us a great selection of seasonal mangoes, melons and pineapples to devour.
If you see a fruit in the market that isn’t in season, it means that it has been stored for a long period of time with the help of preservatives or waxing and controlled conditions. These measures impact the quality and nutrition you can derive from it. For example, Apples in India are now available all year round, but they’re only harvested between July and November depending upon the altitude of the orchard. Apples you see available in off season are at times stored for upto a year.
Opt for local
Choose locally grown fruits with as less a carbon footprint as possible. It makes for a more sustainable choice.
Transport and storage conditions necessitated for fruit reduces nutrient content. Often fruit is plucked unripe, transported to a different location and then sprayed with chemicals and pesticides to unnaturally ripen them.
Fruit is healthy, Fruit Juice is NOT
It doesn’t matter if it is 100% or freshly squeezed juice with no added sugar. Fruit juice is basically a fruit stripped of all the fibre, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that it provides leaving behind only the naturally occuring sugars. Fruit juice reaches the stomach too quickly and the overload of fructose can lead to high levels of uric acid, whereas when you eat the whole fruit the enzymes help break down the fructose, sucrose and glucose. Regular consumption of fruit juice by children only provides empty calories that can lead to childhood obesity. So in short, give your children the whole fruit.
These basic fundamentals regarding fruits are easy to follow and develop into a habit. They are all based on principles of holistic health, naturopathy and nutrition science. I hope they help you and your family enjoy fruits and their many benefits.