Despite the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, this organ is still very sensitive and tender. The wrong start of the day can lead to severe abdominal pain, so you cannot eat or drink some products on an empty stomach to save yourself from inconvenience throughout the day.
What Not To Eat Or Drink On An Empty Stomach
You need to be careful about consuming the following food items when you have an empty stomach.
1. Freshly Squeezed Juices
Firstly, sour oranges and lemons can negatively affect the condition of the stomach with increased acidity. Secondly, they can cause an allergic reaction, even if you have never had a negative reaction to citrus fruits.
It’s all about an unpredictable gastrointestinal reaction. Therefore, before drinking freshly squeezed orange juice, it is better to eat cottage cheese or porridge. Just remember never to drink orange juice or eat grapefruit on an empty stomach.
2. Alcohol
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach intensifies its harmful effect on the body. As a result, a person starts to feel dizzier and lose consciousness faster. If it’s a one or two-time thing, then it’s all right, but if a person continues to drink alcohol on an empty stomach, it will damage the liver more quickly.
Many people deliberately abuse alcohol on an empty stomach to feel the same high; however, it is dangerous. According to statistics, alcohol abuse is increasing in America, especially in the State of Florida, which has 3rd most populous state in the US.
To control substance abuse in Florida, the government has been taking necessary precautionary measures. There have been many training programs and sessions to guide the public regarding the harmful effect of alcohol on health. Such programs can help put a stop to the increase in alcohol abuse and improve the health of people.
3. Tomatoes
The overly active organic acids contained in tomatoes, in particular, tannic, irritate the walls of the stomach. It increases acidity and contributes to the appearance of unpleasant symptoms up to heartburn and the development of gastritis and ulcers.
Do not eat raw tomatoes on an empty stomach; it is better to choose other, less acidic vegetables or add tomatoes to scrambled eggs, frying them a little.
4. Coffee
It is difficult to imagine a vigorous morning without a cup of strong and aromatic coffee, but it is still better to drink it after having breakfast. Meeting an empty stomach in the morning with this rich drink is not very joyful. Coffee stimulates many functions of the gastrointestinal tract, including the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which can also cause gastritis.
In addition, coffee starts the work of the pancreas – pancreatic juice with enzymes for digesting food begins to be produced, but it is not in the stomach. This can lead to a malfunction of its functioning and pancreatitis.
5. Cold Water
Everyone knows that it is best to drink a glass of water on an empty stomach. But by no means cold! For the stomach, which is in “sleeping mode”, meeting with ice water will turn into real stress.
In addition, such water does not enter the intestine immediately but remains in the stomach until it warms up to a temperature comfortable for further absorption in the intestine. The body will still need to spend valuable energy and time on this. It is better to drink water at room temperature or a little warmer on an empty stomach.
6. Bananas
It would seem that what’s wrong with bananas? It turns out that due to the high content of magnesium and potassium in bananas, eating these fruits on an empty stomach can lead to an imbalance of magnesium and potassium in the blood!
Bananas are also rich in fructose, so if you would eat them on an empty stomach it can overload the digestive system, especially the pancreas and liver. Thus, save the bananas for dessert.
7. Meat
At least our common sense tells us not to eat meat on an empty stomach (especially for breakfast). First, the body will have to spend a lot of energy to digest it, but where does a hungry person get it from? Secondly, it is better to give preference to carbohydrates. The body needs carbohydrates in the morning.
In the morning, the pancreas works very actively and produces insulin and cortisol. Together, they are responsible for ensuring that the cells receive energy in the form of glucose. Therefore, in the morning, we need complex carbohydrates. And such products as meat, animal proteins – it is better to leave them for the second half of the day.
8. Yeast Baked Goods
Bakery and flour products on an empty stomach are a direct road to obesity. They get quickly digested and do not linger in the stomach, but they cause a sharp jump in blood sugar and the release of insulin. Adding margarine-like fats and excess sugar in baked goods can cause irritated stomach lining and discomfort.
White bread, fast carbohydrates, baked goods, pasta, noodles, and premium flour – all these really cause the fermentation process. This happens because the body is not ready in the morning for fast carbohydrates. This is a load on the stomach, intestines, and pancreas.
9. Yogurts
Sour milk on an empty stomach is not that badly harmful – it is simply useless. In the morning after sleep, the human stomach has a high concentration of hydrochloric acid. And the acidic environment kills all the beneficial Lacto-bifidobacteria that is contained in fermented milk products. Therefore, safely leave yogurts, kefir, and other sour milk for a snack.
10. Fruits
Sour fruits and berries also have citric, which is harmful to an empty stomach. The acids in such fruits, when ingested on an empty stomach, can cause heartburn and lead to allergies, gastritis, or ulcers. Maybe a pear is good for you? Pass it again as it is rich in coarse fiber that can damage the lining of an empty stomach.
Take Away
We cannot survive without eating food. But it is also important to know what to eat and at what time as these minor details have a direct relation to a person’s health and well-being. We mentioned some foods and drinks that you must avoid consuming on an empty stomach to live healthily.
