Can you drink tea and brush your teeth after a meal? Huaxi doctors: These 10 things are really not recommended to do after a meal!

“The essence of walking is actually to relax your brain”

@Unknown netizens

Especially after eating too much

Many people like to walk aimlessly on the road.

Helps to digest food and relieve the irritation caused by rice

But there is also a saying that it is best to stay still after a meal.

Otherwise it will affect digestion?

What is the right approach?

West China Hospital of Sichuan University

Gastroenterology: Dr. Chen Feifan and Dr. Yang Jinlin

Give us answers!

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There are two well-known old sayings in China: one is "Take a hundred steps after a meal, and you will live to be ninety-nine"; the other is "If you want to live to be ninety-nine, don't walk after a meal"; in the end, which of these two sayings is more reliable?

Answer: It depends on the person!

It is necessary to follow the principle of "three shouldn'ts, two choices", and pay attention to the time to start exercise and the way of exercise.

Three Don'ts

It is not advisable to do strenuous exercise (running, playing ball, physical labor, etc.) after a meal . Strenuous exercise can easily cause gastroptosis, and in severe cases, intestinal torsion may occur. (It is recommended to do it one hour after a meal)

It is not advisable to take a walk immediately after a meal , as exercise can cause sympathetic nerve excitement, inhibit gastrointestinal motility, and affect food digestion. (It is recommended to wait half an hour after a meal)

It is not advisable to lie down immediately after a meal . After a meal, the blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract increases, which can easily cause cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, making people sleepy. If you lie down immediately after a meal, the lack of gravity will slow down the gastrointestinal motility and reduce the secretion of digestive juices. Food cannot be fully digested and accumulates in the intestines, causing indigestion. In addition, it is easy to cause gastroesophageal reflux, and in severe cases, it will lead to reflux esophagitis. (It is recommended to lie down and rest half an hour after a meal)

Choose one

Sitting after a meal is a good choice for elderly people suffering from gastroptosis, three highs, cardiovascular diseases and reflex regulation dysfunction - the gastrointestinal blood flow increases after a meal, and blood pressure drops. Proper rest can reduce gastrointestinal discomfort and avoid accidents.

Standing after a meal is a very suitable way for most people, especially for those who sit for a long time to work or study, as it is more conducive to digestion.

Some people may not understand: "If you are so full and still sit there, won't it make you look long?"

Don’t blame others! Sitting after a meal is not the cause of obesity; uncontrolled diet, long periods of sitting, and lack of physical activity are the “culprits” of obesity.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, the Jia family drank three cups of tea when eating. The first cup was the mouthwash tea after the meal, the second cup of tea was called the tea for serving, and the third cup of tea was called the tea for digestion. It seems that the Chinese habit of drinking tea with meals has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Even now, many people like to drink tea after a full meal, thinking it can help digestion. But in fact, drinking strong tea before or after a meal can cause many health risks :

Drinking tea after meals will dilute the gastric juice and reduce the concentration of gastric acid; drinking large amounts of tea will also cause gastric dilation, weaken gastric motility, and affect digestive function.

The caffeine in tea is a powerful stimulant that affects gastrointestinal function.

Tannic acid in tea will combine with proteins in meat, eggs, soy products, dairy products and other foods to form astringent tannic acid protein, which weakens intestinal peristalsis, easily leading to dry stools and constipation. In severe cases, it can cause gastric stones.

The tannins in tea can react with iron to form an iron-tannic acid complex, reducing the absorption of iron and, in severe cases, causing anemia.

Not only tea, but also the after-meal desserts that girls particularly like, such as yogurt and fruits , are actually not recommended to be eaten immediately after a meal.

Drinking yogurt immediately after a meal is equivalent to increasing food intake, which will increase the workload of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, yogurt contains probiotics, not digestive enzymes, which help maintain the balance of intestinal flora rather than digest food.

If you eat fruit immediately after a meal , the fruit will be blocked by the previously eaten food, resulting in the inability to digest the fruit normally, causing symptoms such as indigestion, abdominal pain, and bloating. In addition to containing more dietary fiber, fruit also affects the digestion and absorption of some nutrients (such as trace elements).

So don't drink tea immediately after a meal.

If you want to drink, just take a sip of light tea.

Try to eat yogurt and fruit between meals.

Nutrition and health

In addition to taking a walk or drinking tea after a meal, there are many other sayings among the people about "not doing XXX after a meal", such as taking a bath or brushing teeth after a meal... Can we do these things after a meal? Let's continue reading.

Misconception ①

A cigarette after dinner is better than a living god✘

After a meal, gastrointestinal motility increases, blood circulation speeds up, and harmful substances in cigarettes are more likely to enter the blood than usual. Smoking one cigarette at this time will cause more poisoning than smoking 10 cigarettes at ordinary times . More harmful substances enter the body and directly damage the respiratory tract; cigarettes promote bile secretion and easily induce bile reflux; cigarettes inhibit the secretion of trypsin, hinder food digestion, and cause gastrointestinal diseases.

Correct answer: Smoking is harmful to your health! It is recommended to quit smoking immediately and never smoke again.

Misconception ②

Taking a bath after a meal is more relaxing ✘

Taking a bath after a meal will increase the blood flow to the body surface and reduce the blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, which will weaken the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract and cause indigestion . The risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events will increase under the stimulation of cold or hot water.

The correct answer is to take a bath one hour or longer after a meal. It is best to take a bath before going to bed, which will eliminate the day's fatigue and make you fall asleep easily.

Misconception 3

Brushing your teeth after meals is good for oral health✘

Whether brushing your teeth after a meal affects your dental health is still controversial. Some studies have shown that the acidity of food and the acid produced by fermentation of food residues after eating can soften tooth enamel, making teeth soft and brittle, and enamel crystals loose, and brushing your teeth immediately will cause a certain degree of wear on your teeth.

Other studies suggest that brushing your teeth immediately after meals does not cause more damage to your teeth than delaying brushing, because normal daily eating does not cause enamel demineralization and softening, and the effect of saliva on enamel repair (remineralization) is very weak.

Correct answer: Therefore, we recommend gargling with warm water after meals as a simple, convenient and effective method~

Misconception ④

Loosen your belt to reduce the "work pressure" of your stomach ✘

Eating too much and loosening the belt buckle will cause the intra-abdominal pressure to drop, forcing the stomach to sag. If this continues for a long time, you will suffer from gastroptosis .

You can stand for a while and then walk slowly around a few circles. This will help the stomach move and empty it as quickly as possible.

Misconception ⑤

Relax while watching TV or using your phone while eating ✘

The process of digestion and absorption is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which is in turn controlled by the cerebral cortex. If you watch TV while eating, it will cause the cerebral cortex to become excited and the secretion of digestive juices to decrease, which will lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction over time. In addition, your attention will be distracted, and the brain will not have time to process the "feeling of fullness", so you will eat too much without realizing it.

Is the hotpot not spicy enough, or the skewers not fragrant enough? Concentrating on eating is the greatest respect for food and health!

Myth 6

Driving after dinner ✘

You can't drive after drinking or eating . The digestion of food by the gastrointestinal tract requires a large amount of blood, which causes temporary ischemia in the brain, which can easily lead to operational errors and cause car accidents.

It is safer to drive one hour after a meal!

Three meals a day, the most warm

Pay attention to bad habits after meals and keep you healthy

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