Health authorities recommend eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day to stay healthy. Fair enough — but are fruits actually a good idea in the evening? Since they contain sugar, could they cause weight gain? And more importantly, should you favour a particular fruit at night to help you slim down?
Should you eat fruit at dinner?
There is absolutely no reason to avoid fruit in the evening — quite the opposite! They are nutritional powerhouses, both for their fibre content and their micronutrients. And to anyone who claims that fruit, being sweet, causes weight gain — the answer is no. Eating too much fruit can of course have an impact on your weight, since it does contain fructose. But this sugar is well processed by the body, so 2–3 fruits a day will have no negative effect on your weight.
As for the ideal time to eat them, opinions vary. Some recommend consuming them between meals rather than as a dessert, to avoid intestinal fermentation — and the bloating that comes with it. Another option that is perfectly suited to digestion and weight management: eating them at the start of a meal. Their fibre will act as a natural appetite suppressant, helping you eat less afterwards. What’s more, they are quickly digested and won’t cause any digestive discomfort.
But are there specific fruits worth choosing in the evening to lose weight?
Fruit no1: kiwi
This small exotic fruit, packed with nutrients and fibre, is a great choice for the evening. First, kiwi won’t make you gain weight: just 60 kcal per 100 g. Second, it stimulates serotonin production, supporting a calm and restful sleep. Third: the idea that its vitamin C could disrupt your sleep is simply a myth. There’s a big difference between “fighting fatigue” — which this vitamin does — and “keeping you awake”!
Fruit no2: strawberry
The ultimate light fruit — so much so it’s often called “the diabetic’s fruit”. Very low in sugar, low in calories (39 kcal per 100 g), rich in potassium to combat water retention and vitamin B9 for a healthy nervous system, the strawberry is ideal in the evening. It also works beautifully as a starter: soup with strawberry and beetroot, rocket salad with strawberries and feta, or a tomato-strawberry salad with basil — we love them all!
Fruit no3: pear
A touch of sweetness with this absolutely delicious autumn fruit! The pear has the advantage of being light in calories (60 kcal per 100 g) and comes in a wonderful variety of types. Firm or melt-in-the-mouth, subtly fragrant, it can brighten up a salad or, lightly pan-fried, make a lovely accompaniment to white meat. Go ahead and indulge — your waistline has nothing to worry about.
Fruit no4: apple
Let’s go with a tried-and-true classic: the apple remains a must-have when you’re looking to lose weight. It’s incredibly filling, thanks to its pectin content — a soluble fibre that swells on contact with water and forms a gel in the stomach. Eaten at the start of a meal, it works as a natural appetite suppressant. It’s also incredibly versatile, whether eaten raw or cooked. A true kitchen staple.
Fruit no5: avocado
Yes, avocado is a fruit — even if it’s eaten as a vegetable in our part of the world. It is admittedly calorie-dense (205 kcal per 100 g, no less), but those calories are far from empty: healthy fats, low sugar, stress-relieving magnesium (excellent before bed), fibre to ward off late-night cravings, and tryptophan to support restful sleep. What more could you ask for?
Fruit no6: pineapple
It’s hard to talk about slimming without mentioning pineapple, whose bromelain (an enzyme) supports digestion and acts as a natural “fat burner “. It may also help boost melatonin production — the so-called “sleep hormone”. And it’s wonderfully easy to cook with, pairing perfectly with oily fish (thanks to its natural acidity) and white meats. So go ahead and invite it to dinner!