The right way to eat fruits By Sumitra Nair,

You love your bowl of strawberries and yogurt after dinner or prefer your melon wrapped in ham. But can you really have fruit any way you want to?

Is it enough to eat them frequently, or is there a right way to eat fruits? Is it okay to eat fruits as dessert right after a meal? Nutritionist, Naini Setalvad tells us what the right way to eat fruits is.

When should I eat fruits? The best time to eat fruits is first thing in the morning after a glass of water. Eating fruits right after a meal is not a great idea, as it may not be digested properly. The nutrients may not be absorbed properly either.

You need to leave a gap of at least 30 minutes between a meal and a fruit snack. Ideally, one should eat fruits an hour before the meal or two hours after, if they have diabetes or any other digestive problem like acidity. This is because, sometimes, diabetes is accompanied with digestive problems.

Can I mix fruits with other foods? You can mix fruit with yogurt or salt as long as you do not have any digestive problems like indigestion or acidity. You can also mix fruits like pineapple, oranges, melons or pomegranate with salads if you like. There is no harm in mixing berries and dry fruits with cereals either.

Shelf-life of common fruits

Banana: Three-four days
Apple: Up to a week
Pears: Five-six days
Papayas: Two-three days (depends on how ripe the papayas are to begin with)
Chickoos: Two days (depends on the ripeness)

Most other ripe fruits have a shelf life of up to three days if stored in the refrigerator.