To maintain good health, one must be disciplined about their meal times and habits. Improper digestion can cause a variety of health problems, which is why knowing what to eat and eating mindfully — while also being aware of how much to eat — is critical.
According to Nidhi Sharma, the founder of Half Life to Health, an online nutrition and fitness platform, knowing some dos and don’ts before and after a meal is also important for meeting nutrition goals.
“It is common to make mistakes, and one may not realise they are actually unhealthy practices. Many people have a set of adopted practices with respect to food, but now is the right time to unlearn those unhealthy practices,” she says.
Following things that must be avoided after having a meal
* Avoid taking a shower right after eating because blood surrounds the stomach to aid digestion, and bathing causes the body temperature to change. To return the body to its original temperature, blood flows from the stomach surface to the skin, causing impaired and slow digestion.
* Avoid strenuous exercise immediately after eating. Strenuous exercise can disrupt digestion. It can cause nausea, stomach/abdominal pain, and vomiting, resulting in acid reflux.
* Avoid sleeping or napping: The desire to sleep or nap after a meal is quite common. This causes digestive juices to rise to the surface, resulting in severe heartburn; a person may wake up feeling full after eating.
* Avoid drinking a lot of water because it slows down digestion. Excessive water consumption dilutes stomach acid and impairs digestion. Most Indian meals include enough fluid in the form of gravies, dals, sambhar, chaas, and other dishes. The salads are also high in water content.
* Avoid activities that require bending forward because they can cause acid reflux.
* Avoid eating fruits after a meal because it can reduce nutrient absorption.
* Avoid drinking tea or coffee because they contain phenolic compounds that interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients, such as iron, from food.
* Avoid consuming alcohol or smoking: While both are harmful to the body, doing so after a meal increases health risks.
