4 Fruits you Should Not Eat at Night

While eating fruits is important to stay fit and healthy, eating them at the right time is essential to maximise their benefits. While most fruits can be eaten at almost any time during the day, some should not be consumed before bed. 

Being aware of which fruits not to eat at night can help people plan their meals properly and avoid the complication of consuming the wrong food before going to sleep. This article offers detailed information about the fruits that should not be eaten at night, the reasons to avoid them, and other aspects of eating fruit.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a delicious and juicy fruit with a sweet and sour taste. It is also one of the fruits not to eat at night before going to bed. This is because the acidic nature of the grapefruit can make people suffer from heartburn besides interfering with some medicines they might be taking. However, eating grapefruit any time during the day can prove highly beneficial.

Tomato

Tomatoes are a rich source of tyramine, a compound that helps to stimulate the production of norepinephrine, responsible for enhancing brain activity. Moreover, tomatoes are acidic, which may cause people to suffer from heartburn and acid reflux. The best time to eat tomatoes is during breakfast as it helps improve digestion and enhances the body’s metabolism for healthy weight maintenance. 

Banana

Banana is a heavy fruit, which means that the stomach takes a longer time to digest them. Moreover, according to ayurvedic medicinal practices, eating a banana before bedtime can produce mucus, which may cause the throat to choke. Therefore, rather than eating the fruit before bed, consuming it when the body is low on energy during the daytime, such as just before or after a workout, is advisable. 

Apple

Apple is another of the fruits not to eat at night due to its high fibre content. Digesting this specific fibre content is difficult, and as the fruit remains in the stomach for longer, it results in a build-up of stomach acids due to slower digestion at night. These elevated acid levels can cause acidity and discomfort leading to restlessness through the night. Therefore, the best time to eat an apple is as part of breakfast or as a mid-morning snack.  

Fruits with excess Water content

Fruits with excess water content, such as melons and strawberries, are suitable for keeping the body hydrated. However, eating these fruits at night can cause undesired interruptions in sleep due to people needing to use the bathroom frequently. This can disrupt the natural circadian rhythm and make them feel grouchy and tired even after waking up. Therefore, the best time to eat watery fruits is before moving out of the house during the hot summer months.

Why Not Eat Fruits At Night

Most fruits contain natural sugars and fibres, which provide energy to the body and make them harder to digest. In general, fruits are best eaten on an empty stomach, making their digestion easier. However, when people eat fruit before bed, their stomach is already in the process of digesting a meal they have eaten earlier, which can upset the digestion process and cause discomfort.

Moreover, consuming fruit at night increases blood sugar and energy levels, making it difficult for the body to relax and slow down. This, in turn, disrupts the natural sleep cycle, as the increased energy levels stimulate brain activity, making it difficult for people to fall asleep. Elevated blood sugar levels can also prove risky for people who have diabetes.

Given the longer digestion time required by most fruits, eating them before bed can increase the risk of weight gain. This is because the digestion process is slower at night, so the fruits take longer than usual to get properly digested. As a result, the body converts and stores the sugar in the fruits into fat which increases weight. 

What Is The Right Time To Eat Fruit

Since fruits form an integral part of a balanced diet, just being aware of what fruits are not good to eat at night is not enough. People must also learn when to eat fruits to improve their health and immunity. The best time to eat fruit is on an empty stomach or when there is a long gap between meals. This gives enough time for the fruit to digest properly so that the body can absorb all the nutrients provided by the fruits through proper digestion and ingestion.

The Time Gap Between Fruits and Meals

Ideally, there should be a time gap of at least 3-4 hours between  eating fruit and having a meal. This is also one of the reasons why people should avoid eating fruit before bed. This is especially true if the fruit is eaten only a short time after consuming a meal. In such cases, the stomach starts digesting the fruit first, leaving the digestion of the food in-between. 

Eating fruits right before consuming a meal has similar effects, although in this case, the digestion of fruit becomes slower as the stomach tries to digest the components of a meal simultaneously. Though, there are contradicting views too where it is mentioned that fruits can be paired with foods rich in protein and there isn’t necessary to have a time gap.

Conclusion

Even though fruits play a critical role in maintaining the health and vitality of the human body, knowing what fruits are not good to eat at night is a part of efficient meal planning. It helps ensure that people enjoy the numerous nutritional benefits of eating fruit without disrupting natural processes. 

FAQs