From an Ayurvedic perspective, the way we eat fruit in the modern Western diet is a little pear-shaped... and could actually be contributing to our pear shapes too! As we enter the season of fruit abundance it is a good time to learn how to eat fruit in a way that cleanses the body rather than filling it with fermented toxic goo.
Ayurveda teaches that at a physical level, all disease begins in the digestive tract due to an imbalanced digestive fire and the food wastes/toxins that result from poor digestion. So many of the day-to-day diet and lifestyle practices recommended by Ayurveda are specifically designed to strengthen our metabolisms (known as ‘Agni’), and reduce the accumulation of toxins in the body (known as ‘Ama’).
When it boils down to it, there aren’t too many hard and fast ‘rules’ in Ayurvedic nutrition. Don’t get me wrong... there are many guidelines and recommendations... advice on things to favour, things to avoid, ways of preparing certain foods and qualities to look for in what you eat. But, there are only a few real RULES that you should follow as much as possible - the rule of fruit and food combining is one of them. Here it is:
Fresh fruit should be consumed separately from other food. It should especially not be eaten with dairy foods (including milk, cheese and yoghurt).
This will come as a complete surprise to most of us who have been enjoying banana smoothies, strawberries on our weetbix, apple pie with icecream, fruit salad and custard and cheese and fruit platters. Daily. For most of our lives....
Why should fresh fruit be eaten separately?
The reasoning behind this rule is very simple and very sound. The first thing to understand is how your digestion works. When you eat a meal, food only passes from the stomach through to the small intestine once all of the food has been digested to a certain point. Relative to other foods, fresh fruit is super easy to digest. When you eat it with other foods it mixes with all the other foods in your stomach and is forced to stay there until the heaviest, most difficult to digest food has been broken down. As a result, it stays in the stomach much longer than it needs to and is over-digested. It actually ‘ferments’ and creates instant Ama (i.e. toxic goo). If you want a visual, think of fresh fruit left in the hot sun for several days. At first it ripens and is sweet and delicious... but it soon becomes over ripe and starts to disintegrate, ferment and go rotten and attract bugs. Your tummy is like the hot sun... you don’t what your fruit staying in there too long.
Dairy food is heavier and more difficult to digest than most other food so is the worst possible combination with fruit... especially when you think about what happens to milk when it is exposed to sour, fermented substances... it curdles!!
So you see the supposedly ‘healthy’ and very common Western ways of preparing fruit with dairy food are not healthy at all. They will all lead to fermentation in the gut and will create toxins that contribute to sluggishness; loss of energy; bad breath and body odour; weight gain; and, over time, all manner of diseases.
So how do I eat fresh fruit?
The best way to eat fresh fruit is on its own. This means in between meals for morning or afternoon tea or as your main meal - like stewed fruit or a simple fruit salad for breaky.
Ayurveda teaches that at a physical level, all disease begins in the digestive tract due to an imbalanced digestive fire and the food wastes/toxins that result from poor digestion. So many of the day-to-day diet and lifestyle practices recommended by Ayurveda are specifically designed to strengthen our metabolisms (known as ‘Agni’), and reduce the accumulation of toxins in the body (known as ‘Ama’).
When it boils down to it, there aren’t too many hard and fast ‘rules’ in Ayurvedic nutrition. Don’t get me wrong... there are many guidelines and recommendations... advice on things to favour, things to avoid, ways of preparing certain foods and qualities to look for in what you eat. But, there are only a few real RULES that you should follow as much as possible - the rule of fruit and food combining is one of them. Here it is:
Fresh fruit should be consumed separately from other food. It should especially not be eaten with dairy foods (including milk, cheese and yoghurt).
This will come as a complete surprise to most of us who have been enjoying banana smoothies, strawberries on our weetbix, apple pie with icecream, fruit salad and custard and cheese and fruit platters. Daily. For most of our lives....
Why should fresh fruit be eaten separately?
The reasoning behind this rule is very simple and very sound. The first thing to understand is how your digestion works. When you eat a meal, food only passes from the stomach through to the small intestine once all of the food has been digested to a certain point. Relative to other foods, fresh fruit is super easy to digest. When you eat it with other foods it mixes with all the other foods in your stomach and is forced to stay there until the heaviest, most difficult to digest food has been broken down. As a result, it stays in the stomach much longer than it needs to and is over-digested. It actually ‘ferments’ and creates instant Ama (i.e. toxic goo). If you want a visual, think of fresh fruit left in the hot sun for several days. At first it ripens and is sweet and delicious... but it soon becomes over ripe and starts to disintegrate, ferment and go rotten and attract bugs. Your tummy is like the hot sun... you don’t what your fruit staying in there too long.
Dairy food is heavier and more difficult to digest than most other food so is the worst possible combination with fruit... especially when you think about what happens to milk when it is exposed to sour, fermented substances... it curdles!!
So you see the supposedly ‘healthy’ and very common Western ways of preparing fruit with dairy food are not healthy at all. They will all lead to fermentation in the gut and will create toxins that contribute to sluggishness; loss of energy; bad breath and body odour; weight gain; and, over time, all manner of diseases.
So how do I eat fresh fruit?
The best way to eat fresh fruit is on its own. This means in between meals for morning or afternoon tea or as your main meal - like stewed fruit or a simple fruit salad for breaky.
What about dried fruit?
Dried fruit is a little different. It has quite different qualities to its fresh counterparts. It is heavier, sweeter, slower to digest and does not ferment in the same way as fresh. As a result, you can combine dried fruit with grains and with milk. For example, it is fine to bake with dried fruit and it is fine to have dried fruit in your cooked porridges.
Is stewed fruit on cereal ok?
Stewed fruit has similar qualities to fresh so it is also best consumed on its own. It is, however, a lovely, lovely way to eat fruit in the cooler months and I highly recommend it!
What about fruit in cakes?
Same deal I’m afraid. The baking process does not change the qualities of the fruit sufficiently so rather than going for the banana cake, choose the carrot cake instead (or even the chocolate!). Christmas fruit cake is fine because it is made with dried fruit so enjoy!
Are mango lassis okay?
Sorry... no. Just because you can buy them in Indian restaurants, doesn’t mean they are Ayurvedically friendly. When ordering, simply choose the plain lassi or a rose water lassi instead.
What about fruit chutneys?
Due to the way they are prepared, fruit chutneys are fine to have with meals as a digestive - like sweet mango chutney. Just try to avoid ones with chilli.
It takes a little getting used to but if you follow this simple rule of food combining, you will be doing your digestive system a huge favour! Small changes can have profound effects so just try it for yourself. I have a few friends with kids who have instigated this rule and have reported a huge change in their kids digestion and immunity. They have less tummy aches and far less colds. So.... give it a try! xx
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Dried fruit is a little different. It has quite different qualities to its fresh counterparts. It is heavier, sweeter, slower to digest and does not ferment in the same way as fresh. As a result, you can combine dried fruit with grains and with milk. For example, it is fine to bake with dried fruit and it is fine to have dried fruit in your cooked porridges.
Is stewed fruit on cereal ok?
Stewed fruit has similar qualities to fresh so it is also best consumed on its own. It is, however, a lovely, lovely way to eat fruit in the cooler months and I highly recommend it!
What about fruit in cakes?
Same deal I’m afraid. The baking process does not change the qualities of the fruit sufficiently so rather than going for the banana cake, choose the carrot cake instead (or even the chocolate!). Christmas fruit cake is fine because it is made with dried fruit so enjoy!
Are mango lassis okay?
Sorry... no. Just because you can buy them in Indian restaurants, doesn’t mean they are Ayurvedically friendly. When ordering, simply choose the plain lassi or a rose water lassi instead.
What about fruit chutneys?
Due to the way they are prepared, fruit chutneys are fine to have with meals as a digestive - like sweet mango chutney. Just try to avoid ones with chilli.
It takes a little getting used to but if you follow this simple rule of food combining, you will be doing your digestive system a huge favour! Small changes can have profound effects so just try it for yourself. I have a few friends with kids who have instigated this rule and have reported a huge change in their kids digestion and immunity. They have less tummy aches and far less colds. So.... give it a try! xx
If you want to receive my Agni Blogs and Videos direct to your inbox once a month, Sign Up to the Mudita Institute's monthly online LIFEFOOD magazine and you'll also receive a free e-book copy of our Ayurvedic cookbook, WARMTH.
Hi Nadia,
ReplyDeletewhat about making iceblocks for the kids out of coconut milk and fruit? is the coconut still too heavy?? cheers, x