New trend of eating fruit only on an empty stomach is poor advice
A trendy weight loss fad that’s circulating is the recommendation that you should only eat fruit on an empty stomach. The theory behind this weight loss trick is that when other foods are present in the stomach, those foods prevent the fruit from being digested; therefore it stays in your stomach and rots, and can cause everything from gas, bloating, weight gain, graying hair, balding, nervous breakdowns to dark circles under the eyes! Is it really true that this “rotten fruit” can be the cause of so many health challenges?
“The answer is a big no… fruit can be eaten anytime,” shares Susan Mills-Gray, nutrition/health specialist. “While it is true that fruit is more quickly digested if it’s the only food present in the stomach, the same is true for all food.”
“Nothing can rot in the stomach,” Dr. Pochapin, director of the Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says. “Rotting, or fermentation, means bacterial action on food resulting in decomposition. And because of the presence of hydrochloric acid, the stomach has very few bacteria. The place where fruit produces gas is in the colon, not the stomach,” Dr. Pochapin adds. “The colon is loaded with bacteria and acts as the body’s sewage system.”
Food takes 6 to 10 hours to reach the colon, which explains why it does not really matter when fruit is eaten. Fruit contains sugar and vitamins, which are absorbed in the small intestine, and complex fibers, which pass through the gastrointestinal tract without much digestion. When the fiber reaches the colon, bacteria feed on the fiber and produce gas as a byproduct, regardless of when and with what the fiber was ingested.
This type of diet recommendation is a good example of how fad diets twist dietary information to set their diet apart from others… and it’s generally some truth mixed with untruth. Several of the fad diets that use this technique claim that Dr. Oz promotes this and that is not true. Dr. Oz is not the originator of this technique, nor has ever endorsed the health benefits of using this weight loss tip.
Long-term weight management comes from eating a variety of food in moderate portions with plenty of physical activity. So grab a piece of fruit and enjoy!
For more information on a healthy diet, contact your local MU Extension center or contact Cass County's nutrition/health specialist, Susan Mills-Gray, directly at mills-grays@missouri.edu.
Sources: Today’s Dietician, June 2011; Cornell Medical Center; http://www.quackwatch.com; http://www.snopes.com
Are your cows ready for the calving season?
The mild weather that we have experienced this winter (at least so far), has been very easy on cows and cattle producers alike. However, we need to pay close attention to the nutritional management of pregnant cows as they approach calving. Cows need to be a body condition score of 5 or better by calving, so their nutritional needs are very important now.
Management of the late gestation pregnant cow determines if and when a cow returns to cycling activity after calving. Research indicates three main factors are important to determine when a cow begins cycling before or during the breeding season. Body condition, age of the cow, and the number of days since calving are the biggest influences on whether the cow is ready for the spring breeding season.
In regards to body condition, cows that are thin (BCS <5.0) at calving have a lower percentage cycling at the beginning of the breeding season. As body condition score increases, the percentage of cows cycling increase. Kansas State data reported that there was an 18% increase in percentage cycling for every 1 full body condition score improvement. Improvements in cow condition will lead to improved calf survival and vigor, improved quality and quantity of colostrum, and improved reproductive performance in the cow.
The age of cow impacts the cow’s ability to rebreed. First and second-calf cows are harder to get rebreed than mature cows. The percentage of first calf two-year-olds cycling was about 10% less than mature cows that were having at least their second calf. The extra nutrient requirement for growth clearly limits the cycling activity at the beginning of the breeding season of two-year-olds. Therefore, supplementing your young cows will improve their breed back performance.
The number of days since calving also influences the cow’s ability to rebreed. From less than 50 days to 70 days, the percentage of cows cycling increased by 7.5 % for every 10-day interval since calving. Therefore, having cows calve together in a short calving season is important because it allows for more cows to be cycling at the beginning of the breeding season.
Management of mature cows and first calf heifers before the calving season has a dramatic effect on your calf crop this year and more importantly, next year’s calf crop. A cow or heifer needs to be in good body condition before she calves, if you expect her to raise a healthy calf, continue to grow (if she is a first calf cow), and rebreed in a timely fashion to calve next year. Calving early in the calving season improves production and profitability. May all your cows calve.
Upcoming Area Horticulture Workshops
To learn more about these events, click the appropriate link above. Each event flyer contains a registration sheet on page 2. Simply fill out the registration sheet and mail it in with the workshop fee by the registration deadline to attend.