What Not To Do After Meals

I saw this article which was first published in May 15, 2013 in Health & Medicine, Entertainment & Humor. It's about the 7 things a person must not do after meals. These are the 7 don'ts:

1. Do not smoke after a meal.
   
2. Do not eat fruits immediately after meals.
   
3. Do not drink tea after a meal.
   
4. Do not loosen your belt after eating.
   
5. Do not bathe after eating.
   
6. Do not walk after a meal.
   
7. Do not sleep immediately.
   

The link to this article can be seen here.

The question I asked myself is how true is this? What is fact and what is fiction? Some of these things I actually do after meals. Should I be worried? So I did some further "googling" and this is what I came up with.

In a related article, author Swagata Yadavar addressed this issue, stating and explaining what he believes to be fact and what he believes to be fiction. Check here for the link. The following are his conclusions:

1. Do not smoke after a meal. Fiction

" . . . there is no direct evidence to ascertain the effect of ‘after-meals- smoking’ on your health."

Although it has been proven that smoking is bad anytime anywhere, there is nothing that will directly relate it to bad effects after eating. In fact, as a smoker before (30 years ago), I can attest to the unbridled satisfaction of a cigarette after a meal and how I could swear it helped in the digestion of my meal.

2. Do not eat fruits immediately after meals. Fact

"When you eat your fruits with meals, the fruit is stuck in the stomach along with the contents of the meals and cannot reach the intestines in time. Lying there they get spoilt and spoil the remaining food in the stomach too."

There are varying recommendations as to how long before or after a meal fruits should be eaten but the author's advice is one hour before or after.

3. Do not drink tea after a meal. Fact

"It is said that tea contains polyphenols and tannins that internally bind the iron in the plant foods. This makes it difficult for us to absorb iron."

This is not to say that tea is not good for you. It is. It contains anti-oxidants which we all need to fight off the ill-effects of pathological and environmental stresses which produce free radicals in the blood which can potentially damage good cells in our bodies.

4. Do not loosen your belt after eating. Fiction

" . . . it means that you have over eaten to a level that you are uncomfortable with the belt becoming a noose."

Loosening the belt will not give you intestinal problems. It will actually relieve the discomfort of having eaten too much but in so doing, make you to eat even more than what you should.

5. Do not bathe after eating. Fact

"When we take a warm shower, it raises our body temperature and in order to cool the body there is more blood flow near the skin to allow the heat to be released. Thus the blood required by the stomach is not being available to it and the process of digestion suffers."

Every physical activity our body does requires blood flowing to that part of the body exerting the activity. After meals, the body needs to digest the food, requiring more blood in the stomach area. It would help not to disrupt this flow and it is suggested to wait 30 minutes after the meal before taking a bath.

6. Do not walk after a meal. Fact

"Walking immediately after meals is a bad idea, it can result in acid reflux and indigestion."

Walking is definitely good for you but only after resting 30 minutes after any meal. It helps burn energy, increases metabolism rate, stretches the muscles and can help you sleep better and faster. Definitely a lot better than lying down or sitting on the sofa to watch tv after eating.

7. Do not sleep immediately. Fact

" . . . 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. . . have a burning sensation in the mouth and throat . . . 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 . . . also has a link with obesity . . ."

Two hours after meal is the recommended time if you want to sleep.

Thanks for visiting and have a good day.

(Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and the above article is not a medical advice. Professional advise from a practicing doctor is recommended if reader wishes to verify or consult the reliability of this article. All photos are sourced from Pixabay.)