9 Things You Should Avoid Doing On An Empty Stomach
Nov 02, 2018
When you are hungry, it seems impossible to do anything. You become easily irritated as you think about your next meal.
While skipping meals is not good for your health, it can also cause problems in other ways.
1. Take an Anti-Inflammatory
An anti-inflammatory drug is not supposed to be taken on an empty stomach. This includes common drugs like paracetamol and aspirin. If you take these drugs on an empty stomach, it can cause health issues like gastric bleeding.
The drugs also become less effective. If you want to prevent side effects from the drugs, try drinking a glass of milk when you take them.
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2. Consume Coffee
We're all used to drinking a nice cup of joe first thing in the morning, but what seems like an innocent pick-me-up might not do so much good when consumed before having a breakfast. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee will both stimulate acid production in your stomach. This can lead to digestive problems and heartburn. If you absolutely have to have a cup of coffee and do not have time for a meal, try consuming it with milk or cream.
The added milk fat will help to balance out the negative effects.
3. Drink Alcohol
You should never drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Alcohol absorbs twice as fast when you have not eaten. This means that it absorbs as quickly as an intravenous injection. To make this situation worse, alcohol also breaks down slower when you have not eaten.
This will initially cause a terrible hangover, but it can also lead to long-term damage to your heart, liver, and kidneys.
If someone offers you alcohol on an empty stomach, turn it down. Ask for a sandwich or something to eat before you drink.
4. Chewing Bubble Gum
When you chew gum, your body produces a digestive acid. If you have not eaten recently, this acid can destroy your stomach lining. Over time, this habit can cause gastritis.
Even when you have a full stomach, you should avoid chewing gum for more than 10 minutes at a time.
5. Going to Sleep
Your body does not want to be hungry. When you are hungry, the low glucose levels will keep you from falling asleep. Once you do fall asleep, you will have a lighter sleep and wake up earlier. Losing sleep can also increase your hunger hormones when you wake up, so you end up eating more than you need to. You do not have to gorge yourself before bed, but you should definitely eat a good dinner.
6. Intense Workouts
Some people think that working out on an empty stomach will burn more calories. In reality, it does not increase your fat loss. Instead, it causes you to lose muscle mass. Plus, you are unable to work out as hard because your body does not have the energy it needs.
When you work out, your stomach produces extra gastric juice. Unless you want the acid to eat away at your stomach lining, you need something in your stomach.
7. Shopping
We all know that grocery shopping is a terrible idea when we are hungry. It turns out that other types of shopping are also a bad idea. When you are hungry, you are more likely to buy things.
f you want to save money at the store, eat first, pay with cash and make a shopping list beforehand.
8. Drinking Citrus Juice
Citrus fruits can irritate your stomach lining, so you should never consume them on an empty stomach. If you really want to have a glass of orange juice, dilute it with water first. Better yet, eat a full meal first.
9. Get in an Argument
Hunger makes it harder to stay calm and relaxed in an argument. Self-control takes energy, but you do not have extra energy when you are hungry. If you cannot find time to eat before an argument, drink something warm first.
There are a few things that you can do well when you are hungry. It turns out that people are good at solving problems on an empty stomach. They become more focused and can concentrate better. This is probably because our ancestors needed that extra focus to find food when they were suffering from hunger.
If you were surprised by any of the things on this list, let us know about it. Also, make sure to tell your friends about the worst things to do when they are hungry.
Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!