10 little habits after meals that many people take for granted, 1 of which is really not recommended

Regarding "what you can and cannot do after a meal", I believe many people have heard a lot of opinions, such as: exercising after a meal can easily cause indigestion, loosening your belt after a meal can cause gastroptosis, and taking a nap after a meal can cause obesity...

These popular "post-meal taboos" are difficult to tell whether they are true or false, which makes people very confused. Today we have counted down 10 common post-meal habits, 9 of which you don't need to worry about, but the last one is indeed very dangerous. I hope everyone will pay attention to avoid it.

These 9 post-meal habits

No need to worry

Let’s first talk about 9 habits you can have after meals.

Habit 1: Take a walk after meals✔

Some people say that walking after a meal affects blood circulation, hurts the stomach and the body, but in fact, walking after a meal does not affect blood circulation, nor does it cause indigestion. On the contrary, walking after a meal can promote gastrointestinal motility, smoothly deliver food to various "stations" in the digestive tract, and reduce the feeling of fullness in the stomach. In addition, walking after a meal can also improve blood circulation. When blood flows, it is more conducive to them delivering oxygen and nutrients to the digestive organs.

For people with high blood sugar, taking a walk after a meal can lower post-meal blood sugar ; for people who want to control their weight, it can increase energy consumption, which is much healthier than continuing to sit or lie down after a meal.

However, it should be noted that people with digestive system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, as well as frail elderly people, those who are extremely tired, and those who have eaten too much are not recommended to take a walk immediately after a meal.

In short, except for the small group mentioned above, walking after a meal may have health risks. For most healthy people, it is a healthy habit. In addition, it is recommended to rest for 15 to 30 minutes after a meal before exercising.

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Habit 2: Loosen your belt after meals✔

Of course you can loosen your belt after a meal, as long as it doesn’t bother others.

Some people believe that loosening your belt after a meal can cause gastroptosis, but this is pure nonsense. Gastroptosis is an imaging definition, not strictly a disease, but a state in which the stomach cavity extends downward and is located in the lower part of the abdomen. Our stomach itself has strong ductility, and the capacity of an adult's stomach can reach about 7 times its own volume. If you eat too much, your stomach will be expanded like a balloon, and there is a possibility of sagging to some extent.

The belt is not tightening the stomach, and loosening the belt will not affect the function of the stomach. Gastroptosis has no direct relationship with whether or not to wear a belt . It is mainly related to individual factors such as slender body shape, decreased muscle tone, and loose ligaments around the stomach.

Loosening your belt after a meal is often because you have eaten too much. If you loosen your belt quickly, you may be able to eat a few more bites. However, overeating is an unhealthy lifestyle habit. Nowadays, we don’t have to worry about food and clothing, so there is no need to “go out with a heavy stomach”.

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Habit 3: Take a nap after meals ✔

You can take a nap after a meal. A proper nap can also make you more energetic in the afternoon.

Some people say that taking a nap after a meal will cause weight gain, but in fact , there is no necessary connection between taking a nap after a meal and weight gain. As long as you don’t overeat, a proper nap will not lead to overweight or obesity.

In addition, feeling sleepy after a meal is a normal physiological phenomenon. You should know that the main ingredient in our diet is staple food, which is often high in GI (an indicator of the degree of change in blood sugar after we eat a certain food), which will increase blood sugar after a meal and eventually increase the concentration of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is a sleep inducer that will produce serotonin, which is a substance necessary for normal human sleep. If you feel sleepy, taking a short nap can better restore your energy, and there is no need to force yourself to stay awake.

However, the nap time should not be too long, about 30 minutes is appropriate.

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Habit 4: Lie down after eating ✔

You can lie down. Lying down, standing or squatting will not affect the work of our stomach.

Food digestion relies on the peristalsis of the digestive tract and has nothing to do with the posture after a meal. However, if you have severe gastroesophageal reflux, it is not suitable for you to "lie like Ge You" after a meal.

In addition, for office workers, lying down for a while after a meal is actually better for the spine and eyes than taking a nap lying down.

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Habit 5: Take a shower after meals ✔

Healthy people can take a shower after a meal, but people with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems may need to be a little more careful.

For healthy people, taking a bath after a meal will not affect health. However, if you have cardiovascular problems and your body is a little "blood-intensive" after a meal, taking a hot bath immediately in a relatively closed environment like a bathroom may indeed cause dizziness. It is recommended to take a rest before taking a bath.

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Habit 6 : Eat fruit after meals✔

Edible!

Eating fruit immediately after a meal will not affect nutrient absorption. The gastrointestinal tract processes and digests food regardless of first come first served, and has no time to deal with it. It will mix and blend all the food equally and then transport the mixture to the small intestine for further processing.

Of course, if you are already full, it is not recommended to eat fruit . After all, fruit also has certain calories and sugar. Eating them all will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

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Habit 7: Drink tea after meals ✔

You can drink a moderate amount of tea after meals, but don’t drink strong tea all the time!

Although the ingredients in tea may have some effect on the absorption of protein in food, drinking in moderation will not have obvious adverse reactions. As long as you don't drink a lot of strong tea, it's fine to drink some tea after a meal.

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Habit 8: Drink water after meals ✔

Yes! Food is rich in water. Vegetables, soups, porridge, etc. are also full of water, so drinking some water won’t have any effect.

Some people think that it will affect the composition or pH of gastric juice. In fact, gastric juice is not so easy to dilute and will not cause indigestion. Our stomach is very smart and will automatically adjust the secretion of gastric juice according to the amount of food and water. Therefore, drinking water will not significantly affect the composition or pH of gastric juice.

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Habit 9: Brush your teeth after meals ✔

You can brush your teeth after meals, and it is recommended to brush your teeth after meals, which is good for oral health.

Brushing your teeth after a meal will not damage tooth enamel due to the acidity of food, making teeth soft and brittle. There are a lot of food residues in the mouth after a meal, and brushing your teeth will only make the mouth clean.

If it is inconvenient to brush your teeth, gargling with mouthwash, drinking water or even tap water is a good choice to maintain oral hygiene.

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Don't do this after dinner.

For healthy adults, many small habits after meals do not have a big impact on the body, so there is no need to worry too much. As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. As long as everything is done in moderation and in moderation, it will be fine. However, one thing that needs to be emphasized is that the following habit after meals must not be done, it is really dangerous.

Habit 10: Driving after dinner ❌

Driving after a meal can easily lead to safety accidents, so be careful!

Although we often say "only when you are full can you have the strength to work", it is still recommended to slow down before driving after a meal, as the saying goes "don't drive if you are full, and don't drive if you are full."

Because it is easy to feel tired and sleepy after a meal. As we mentioned in the previous article "Nap after a meal", it is easy to feel sleepy after a meal. Driving in this sleepy and tired state will affect our concentration, leading to operating errors or slow response in emergency situations. Once this happens, the consequences will be disastrous. Therefore, for safety reasons, it is recommended to rest for at least 30 minutes after a meal before driving.

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References

[1] Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes 2023

[2] Oida T, Mimatsu K, Kano H, et al. Modified Cattell's reconstruc-tion with pancreaticogastrostomy following pylorus-preserving pan-creaticoduodenectomy for a patient with gastroptosis[J]. Hepato-gastroenterology, 2011, 58(110-111): 1796-1800.

[3] Pan Chunxia. Clinical observation on 43 cases of gastroptosis treated with Yiqi Shengyang Shugan Decoction [J]. Journal of Clinical Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2012, 4(24): 56-57.

[4] Zhang Youjun. X-ray study on the correlation between gastroptosis and age and gender[J]. Journal of Taishan Medical College, 2013, 34(10):752-754.

[5]Afaghi, A., O'Connor, H., & Chow, CM (2007). High-glycemic-index carbohydrate meals shorten sleep onset. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(2), 426-430.

Planning and production

Author: Wang Yanli, registered nutritionist

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert

Planning丨Zhong Yanping

Editor: Zhong Yanping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

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