A healthy and a balanced diet is very important in our life. People tend to make choices that are beneficial for the health of their family. This enables us to prevent malnutrition. However, there are certain norms that people follow because of their old habits and rituals. For example, sleeping right after lunch is a very common mistake. Everybody loves a nice afternoon nap. However, it is very important that we do not lay down after having a meal. The aftermath of these habits varies as they depend on age. A child’s body has way more tendency to adjust. However, the story changes when the same things are done by the adults.
Here are some of the things we do that are quite detrimental to our health:
Sleep
This is one of the most common and the most detrimental habit to our bodies. When we eat a hefty meal, we feel tired and we have an irresistible urge to sleep.
Immediate nap after a meal affects your body in the following ways:
• Indigestion
• Acid reflux
• Bloated
• Nausea
Your body needs the energy to carry out the metabolic activities. These activities do not halt at any time of the day. They intensify and slow down according to the energy levels and the requirements of your body.
Some food items like turkey, soy, cheese, and fish produce an amino acid called tryptophan. Now, this amino acid has an ability to make you sleepy. Moreover, bananas help your muscles to relax, thereby, helps to calm your body and helps you to sleep. [1] Insulin in our body enable us to feel happy and relaxed, hence, this triggers sleep. [2]
However, there are food items that will help you quit your sleeping habits. These include vegetables, whole grains, and a lot of water.
Your sleeping habits also reflect your overall activities. If you are stressed out all the time then you will take a nap whenever you will feel relaxed. Hence, keeping tired after a meal is normal, however, you must indulge yourself in activities that help you avoid or sleep after an hour or so.
Shower/swimming
We all have heard our mother instructing us to not to swim right after finishing a snack. Science has now proved that our mothers were right after all. Swimming right after eating makes us feel bloated and unable to swim resulting in drowning. It is also the reason why we get cramps under the water. The cramping of our muscles is not understood, however, it is yet to be identified.
If we carry out extensive exercises, it leads to sending our blood circulation to our skin. This is a possible reason for cramping during swimming. [3]
It also makes you sick as you swim in the sun. The sun is the brightest at that time, therefore it is better to avoid it. Chinese have also declared that they there has been a high toll of death of children due to accidental drowning in the past few years. This is quite alarming. Experts tend to notify that meals before swimming might be responsible for this.
Smoking
It is very common that smokers love smoking exactly after a meal. However, this is very dangerous and injurious to their health. It is similar to having ten cigarettes at a time. It makes the intestines irritated as nicotine binds to the oxygen in the body and get absorbed pretty easily. Therefore, you must always wait at least 20 minutes after the meal. [4] Moreover, it will trigger the occurrence of lung cancer, bowel cancer, and colon cancer. [5]
Eating fruit
This is also a very well-known fact that people eat fruit after having lunch. However, it is very wrong to do so. It is similar to throw the fruit away in a dustbin as it will not benefit you at all.
This is because of the fact that your fruit needs to be digested with a number of simple enzymes.
However, after food intake, there will be not enough enzymes for their digestion. Hence, it remains in your stomach for a prolonged time. Prolonged retention of food in your stomach may lead to the following conditions:
• Indigestion
• Heartburn
• Burping
• And other gastric discomforts
Drinking tea
Drinking tea after food would lead to indigestion of iron in your body. This may lead to lack of iron which may further open up doors for a number of health-related problems. [6] It is very dangerous to the people that are anemic and have other blood-related problems. This may lead to the following problems:
• Anemia
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Dizziness
The tannic acid from the iron binds to the iron present in our food making it unable to digest in our body.
Cold water after a meal
Cold water disturbs the ability of your stomach to digest. It makes your food inconsistent in texture and hence making the process less effective. This may lead to acid reflux as well. More water dilutes out the acid in your stomach, therefore, the food is not broken down effectively.
This also makes people more sensitive to a migraine, bloating, and stomach ache.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, drinking water after eating badly affects digestion and lead to constipation.
Exercise
Exercise is very important for your body. However, it is important to choose the right time for it as well. If you are exercising, it means that you are concerned about your health. Hence, it would be great if you choose the right time for it as well. Therefore, after workout food intake must be avoided.
Eat 2-3 hours before every workout. It is all right if you are taking light meals only. However, if you are consuming relatively heavier meals then consider a greater time span between eating and exercising. Some people also ask whether they should eat before or after workout? The answer to this question is very simple. You should go for carbohydrate diet before workout and proteins after a workout.
It is also important that you have a little breakfast before workout. This gives you some extra energy to carry out quite an extensive gym routine.
Exercising right after dinner will lead to the following conditions:
• Stomachache
• Cramping
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Tired
Try to have carbohydrates before every meal. However, after the meal try consuming a lot of proteins.
