There is no doubt about it, fruit is good for you - it's low calorie, full of essential vitamins and micronutrients and can be enjoyed as part of balanced and nutritious¹ diet. 

 

毫无疑问，水果对你大有裨益——水果热量低，富含必要的维生素和微量元素，可以作为均衡营养膳食的一部分。

 

However, eating too much fruit or at the wrong times can lead to fat gains, say experts. 

 

According to personal trainer Callum Melly, founder² of Bodyin8.co.uk, you need to understand how carbohydrates⁴ are broken down within the body to know if you're eating fruit at the wrong time. 

 

As he explains, when you consume carbohydrates they are stored in two forms, as either 'muscle glycogen' or as 'liver glycogen'. 

 

Muscle glycogen is a product of starchy foods and liver glycogen is a product of fructose (the naturally occurring sugar from fruit.) 

 

'Food is fuel and we should only eat what is required to fuel our daily energy requirements, especially when it comes to carbohydrate³ intake,' he said. 

 

Carbohydrates are an important energy source for us, they are important for brain function and important for muscle function and therefore should be eaten around specific times depending on your energy requirements. 

 

A common misconception, says Callum, is that fruit post-exercise is good for you as it will replenish⁵ muscle glycogen. 'However,' he warns, 'fruit will only replenish liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen. Glycogen is our muscle's fuel source and will be used during exercise and therefore needs to be replenished⁶ afterwards with starchy carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes.' 

 

So when should we eat fruit? 'We want to ensure that when we eat fruit we will maximise the energy we receive from it, but more importantly ensure that the fructose is used by the body as an energy source and doesn't get converted and stored as body fat,' he said. 

 

'Therefore, the best times to eat fruit are first thing in the morning and 15 minutes before a workout as your body will use this readily available energy to fuel morning activity and then your exercise.'

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