QOTW: Does eating fruit after eating other food cause the contents in the stomach to ferment?
Posted Oct 21 2010 12:00am
I was chatting with someone about food, nutrients and the body when she said "But I heard you have to eat fruit on an empty stomach because it just sits in your stomach and rots and ferments all of the other food." Red flags immediately went up...I knew this was not based on scientific evidence at all, but she was adamant in eating fruit only on an empty stomach. I promised to prove this theory wrong, so here goes...
First, we will talk about what happens in the stomach. After you eat, food enters the stomach where it is mixed with stomach or gastric acid (hydrochloric acid). This stomach acid, along with various enzymes, is very effective in breaking down the food into smaller particles that can be used by the body as nutritients and then passed through the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). This stomach acid is very acidic and has a pH of around 2; on the pH scale low numbers mean higher acidity. An acidic pH inhibits the growth of bacteria that would be needed in order to rot food.
What does all of that mean?
Rotting and fermentation generally require bacteria in order to take place. An environment with a pH of 2, such as the one found in our stomach, typically does not support bacterial life or growth. Therefore, the fruit or food will not rot inside the stomach because there are no bacteria present in the stomach to begin the breaking down process.
Finally, after the food passes through the stomach, it reaches the intestines. The small intestine first, where most of the nutrients are absorbed, then it empties into the large intestine, and...well I think you know what comes next... The small intestine is where the food comes in contact with bacteria; beneficial bacteria that is. The bacteria further aid in the breakdown of food process ensuring that our body can use the nutrients obtained from foods. In this part of the digestion process food is being broken down by bacteria so we could technically call that rotting, however, it usually doesn't stay there long enough to cause any problems. Once the body has obtained all the nutrients from the food, it simply passes it through. That is why fiber is so important in our diets. Fiber helps move the food along the digestive tract so the body can get rid of it. *Fiber recommendation: Women 50 or younger need 25 g of fiber/day; women 51 or older need 21g/day; pregnant women need about 28 g per day. Men- 19-50 years old need about 38g of fiber/ day; 51 or older= 30g/day.
Bottom line: It's all going to the same place, and it won't rot before it gets there:) So, eat your 2-3 servings of fruit each day!!
Remember: Trick or Treat for UNICEF! 7 cents is all it takes:) Contact us today to help a child in need this Halloween!
First, we will talk about what happens in the stomach. After you eat, food enters the stomach where it is mixed with stomach or gastric acid (hydrochloric acid). This stomach acid, along with various enzymes, is very effective in breaking down the food into smaller particles that can be used by the body as nutritients and then passed through the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). This stomach acid is very acidic and has a pH of around 2; on the pH scale low numbers mean higher acidity. An acidic pH inhibits the growth of bacteria that would be needed in order to rot food.
What does all of that mean?
Rotting and fermentation generally require bacteria in order to take place. An environment with a pH of 2, such as the one found in our stomach, typically does not support bacterial life or growth. Therefore, the fruit or food will not rot inside the stomach because there are no bacteria present in the stomach to begin the breaking down process.
Finally, after the food passes through the stomach, it reaches the intestines. The small intestine first, where most of the nutrients are absorbed, then it empties into the large intestine, and...well I think you know what comes next... The small intestine is where the food comes in contact with bacteria; beneficial bacteria that is. The bacteria further aid in the breakdown of food process ensuring that our body can use the nutrients obtained from foods. In this part of the digestion process food is being broken down by bacteria so we could technically call that rotting, however, it usually doesn't stay there long enough to cause any problems. Once the body has obtained all the nutrients from the food, it simply passes it through. That is why fiber is so important in our diets. Fiber helps move the food along the digestive tract so the body can get rid of it.
*Fiber recommendation: Women 50 or younger need 25 g of fiber/day; women 51 or older need 21g/day; pregnant women need about 28 g per day.
Men- 19-50 years old need about 38g of fiber/ day; 51 or older= 30g/day.
Bottom line: It's all going to the same place, and it won't rot before it gets there:) So, eat your 2-3 servings of fruit each day!!
Remember:
Trick or Treat for UNICEF! 7 cents is all it takes:) Contact us today to help a child in need this Halloween!