10 Things You Should Avoid Immediately After Meal

                    

#1. Avoid eating fruits immediately: Eating fruits immediately after meals will cause bloating and eventually a big stomach emanates.

In many household there is this trend of serving fruits right after meal. All we know is that fruits are good for us but how many of us know the proper time to eat them?

Actually fruits contain simple sugars hence, they are easily digested. Except bananas and dates most fruits pass through the stomach into the intestine within 20 minutes of eating. It’s in the intestine that they are broken down. When we eat fruits right after a meal, the fruit is stuck in the stomach along with the meal contents and can’t reach the intestine in time. Thus it’s recommended that don’t eat any fruit for one- two hour after having a meal or One hour before meal. It’s best if you take it in the morning as it’s the best time when all the nutrients in the fruit will be put to good use throughout the day.

#2. Do not walk about: Walking immediately after a meal will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrients from the food taken.

Reality is this is not true because it can result in acid reflux and indigestion. However, walking about half an hour after meals is known to be good for you. Researchers have found that walking after some rest after meals is a good way to burn energy.

The point to note is when to walk, you should ideally walk for about 10 minutes and only 20-30 minutes after meal to prevent acid reflux and stomach upsets.

Some researchers confirmed that walking after some rest after meals help you sleep faster and deeper.

#3. Avoid sleeping immediately: The food you take will not be digested properly. Hereby leading to gastric and infection in the intestine.

Sleeping straight after eating is bad for you because as you lie down, some amount of digestive juices from the stomach flow back to the food pipe due to the gravitational force and due to its acidic nature, burn the inner layer of the food pipe. Thus people have a burning sensation in the mouth and throat post lying down directly after a meal. Another reason to avoid sleeping directly after meals is that, when we sleep directly after we eat, there is excessive pressure put on the diaphragm because of the food that is still in the stomach this causes snoring and even sleep apnea.

Sleeping directly after meals also has a link with obesity so sleep only after 2 hours AFTER your meals.

#4. Don’t take your bath: Sometimes people come home from work, eat a quick meal and go take a bath to freshen up. Bathing after meal will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs and body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease, this will weaken the digestive system, plus, the blood required by the stomach is not being available to it and the process of digestion suffers. Digestion requires a lot of energy thus requires good flow of blood towards this end to the stomach.

So it is advisable to wait 30 minutes post any meals to go for bathing.

#5. Do not smoke: Experiments from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes leading to a high chance of having cancer.

A cigarette contains as many as 60 carcinogens along with other sickening ingredients like nicotine, tar etc. Along with emphysema (a lung disease that causes shortness of breath) and cancer there are other risks involved with smoking, according to researchers.

Not only after meals but smoking is bad even in the mornings and afternoons; before meals, in the office and after work. In short, smoking is bad for you.

However, smoking is known to worsen symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS as well as ulcerative colitis (a stomach ulcer). Smoking also has a bad effect on muscles of the colon.

#6. Don’t loosen your belt: Loosening the belt after meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted and blocked.

Loosening the belt is bad, not because it causes the intestines to twist or block but because it means that you have over eaten to a level that you are uncomfortable with the belt becoming a noose. Loosening of the belt may also cause you to feel comfortable once again which means you may continue overeating.

Loosening your belt is basically relaxing your abdominal muscle which means having a bulging belly in the long run. So eat only to the extent that you can be comfortable without loosening your belt!

#7. Don’t drink tea: Many tea addicts often require tea right after meals; otherwise they feel as if they have missed something.

Yes, drinking modest quantities of tea and coffee has its benefits ranging from reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease to putting off diabetes and providing anti-oxidants that will help your body fight aging. However, drinking tea and coffee after meals is not recommended by most nutritionists.

Because tea contains a high content of acid. This substance will cause the protein content in the food we consume difficult to digest.

Also, because tea contains polyphenols and tannins that internally bind the iron in the plant foods. This makes it difficult for us to absorb iron. So drinking tea is bad especially for children and women who require iron and are generally iron deficient.  It is preferable to drink tea only after at least an hour after meals.

#8. Avoid exercising: After we eat, all the blood flow and the organs involved in the process are concentrated for the process of digestion. If you exercise after eating, it will affect the body's metabolism by decreasing the blood flow and causing difficulty in digesting the nutrients from the food. Wait for at least 2-3 hours after eating, and then begin with your workout.

#9. Do not brush: I agree to the fact that brushing your teeth before bedtime is a must in a healthy routine. However, brushing your teeth right after dinner, or after every meal for that matter, is extremely harmful for your teeth. Brushing after eating will scrub away the layers of enamel on the teeth. Furthermore, when you eat or drink acidic foodstuff, or those with a lot of sugar, it's even more dangerous. To protect the teeth enamel, wait for at least 30 minutes, and allow the mouth to produce sufficient saliva to neutralize the acidity of the food that soften the tooth enamel.

#10. Avoid drinking too much water:  It is true that a person should drink 8 glasses of water every day to stay healthy. However, gulping it down right after eating something or even during meals may disrupt digestion. Too much water after or during the meal might interfere with the natural levels of acid and bile that are essential for proper digestion. Furthermore, drinking cold water might slow down digestion and cause cramping in sensitive people. Try to resist drinking water for at least an hour after a meal, and avoid drinking it while eating.