FRUIT FIRST

How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of your day. Enter FRUIT FIRST TILL’ NOON! Iv’e been incorporating this into my daily routine for a while now and Iv’e never felt better! No matter where you are, I find that fruit is always accessible, you can just grab n’ go! I’ll be diving a little deeper into this concept which stems from food combing. It is not a diet, but simply a way of combining the right food groups together to optimize digestion and free up energy in the body.

I feel like there’s a big misconception about fruit in general and the amount of fruit that should be eaten because of its naturally occurring sugars. Fruit is “nature’s candy” anyway, right? I am going to break down why when eaten alone on an empty stomach (preferably during the elimination period, which I’ll explain more later) fruit is one of the best ways we can obtain hydration, vitamins and minerals and is very important for optimal health and digestion.

WHY FRUIT UNTILL NOON?

The universe is truly amazing. There are cycles in everything. You can find cycles in calendars and time, planetary and astronomical cycles, climate and weather cycles, you get it. And if you have a body, it has a cycle too! I’m not talking about us ladies and our ‘monthly cycles’ but more importantly, the 3 eight- hour cycles our bodies run on every single day. Formally known as the Circadian Rhythms, understood for thousands of years in Eastern Medicine and applied in Ayurvedic teachings.

4AM-12PM Elimination: Getting rid of waste and toxins

12PM-8PM Appropriation: Awake, active and present

8PM-4AM Assimilation: Relaxed, sleeping

So if we’re in the elimination process from 4am-12pm, our bodies are already working so hard to eliminate all the shit (pun intended) ;) that we previously ate, and that our bodies absorbed from the day before. We want to make the elimination process as easy on our bodies as possible. So by eating fruit first on an empty stomach during this time in the morning we are giving the digestive system a very easy job. We’re able to eliminate with ease by not weighing ourselves down from eating all these carbs and proteins first. You don’t necessarily HAVE to eat fruit until EXACTLY 12pm. I invite you to try starting your first meal of the day off with fruit alone on an empty stomach. Either a fruit bowl of any fruit you enjoy— mangos, papayas, berries, bananas, oranges, etc. mix em’ all up! Or a fruit smoothie, check out my Glowy AF Green Smoothie recipe for some inspiration! After your fruit, you are welcome to have any other food groups.

FRUIT, EAT IT ALONE OR LEAVE IT ALONE

Fruits are digested so fast and are only in the stomach for a very short amount of time. The fruit passes through the stomach in about twenty to thirty minutes, imagine your fruit going through a tunnel inside your body and as the fruit breaks down they release all of their nutrients into the intestines. So, unlike proteins, fats and starches which take a minimum of about two hours to break down and digest in our body, fruit digests rapidly without using any energy at all. Think about our digestive system in layers. If we were to have our first layer as carbs or proteins, and then have fruit, the fruit would just sit on top of the carbs and proteins since they take longer to digest and the fruit would begin to ferment which causes gas and bloating.
Fruits are living and are considered high-water content foods that naturally detox the body. When eating fruits or an all fruit smoothie alone (meaning without any other food groups like fats, proteins or starches) you are hydrating the body with living enzymes, amino acids and other essential nutrients that preserve and feed all of your cells hydration. Fruit gives you an incredible burst of energy to kickstart your day! Opting for fruit as your first meal of the day is also pretty simple, I find I don’t waste any time coming up with new breakfast ideas and between a variety of fruit bowl combinations and smoothie recipes, I never get bored!

WHY HAVING THE RIGHT KIND OF SUGAR IS IMPORTANT

Sugar or glucose runs every single cell in our body, especially the brain! All sugar is NOT CREATED EQUAL. It’s a matter of having the right kind of sugar and how you consume it. The body metabolizes the sugar from fruit very differently than refined sugars (processed sugar). Our bodies break down refined sugar super fast which causes our insulin and blood sugar levels to skyrocket! Ever notice how you don’t feel full after eating refined sugars despite all the calories consumed? Thats because when eating fruit alone on an empty stomach, our gut expands thus making us feel full because we are digesting all the fiber from the fruit and the natural sugar is used for energy.

No matter how long you decide to extend the fruit first till’ noon concept, I encourage you to try it out as your first meal of the day and see what works best for you and your body! Health is a ripple effect. Start where you are with what you have. It’s about taking small actionable steps each day that build up to big changes! Tag me on Instagram @rhhealth and share all your fruit bowls and smoothies with me!

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