What people do after eating vary from person to person. While some people enjoy bathing immediately after eating, others enjoy taking a nap.
While these habits may not look like a big deal, these seemingly harmless acts can disrupt the nutritional balance of our meals. These habits hamper the nutrition absorption mechanism of your body.
We often commit certain mistakes after having our meal which is not good for the body.
Here are a few unhealthy post-meal practices that can create havoc with your body.
- Sleeping
Taking a nap after a meal may seem like a happy experience, but doing this can hamper the process of digestion and may take a long time to break down the food molecules. Thus, it is best to avoid sleeping right after eating a heavy meal.
- Drinking water
Research has shown that when you drink water right after your meals, it reduces the secretion of enzymes and juices in the stomach. It may cause acidity and bloating, making digestion difficult.
Experts advise that one should drink water at least half an hour before having a meal. You should wait for an hour after you’re done eating before reaching out for a glass of water.
- Eating fruits
No doubt fruits are healthy, but eating them right after meals can lead to indigestion. The best time to eat fruits is 2 hours before or after the meal, this will help in boosting the metabolism and help in better absorption of nutrients.
- Bathing
Always avoid bathing right after eating a heavy meal as it delays the process of digestion. This is because bathing impacts the blood flow around the stomach, which flows to other parts of the body during a shower and hampers digestion.
- Drinking tea
Experts explain that tea is usually acidic, this is due to the presence of caffeine, which makes it difficult to digest the food. In fact, taking a cup of tea right after the meal can interfere with the breaking of food molecules and cause indigestion as it ends up hardening the protein content in the food. Also drinking tea after meals can hamper iron absorption. So, it is best to avoid drinking it after meals.
- Exercising
Exercising right after meals can disrupt your digestion process. You may even experience vomiting, stomach puffiness, and loose motions.
The only exercise that is prescribed after a meal is doing vajrasana. It aids the digestion process, experts suggest. Other than that, you should avoid everything.
If you are someone who loves smoking right after a meal as a daily ritual, then this will impact your health and metabolism silently. According to health experts, smoking after a meal is equal to smoking 10 cigarettes.
