5 Foods Never To Eat on an Empty Stomach
By Nmami Agarwal 26-Jul 2020 Reading Time: 6 Mins
It is not about eating healthy and avoiding junk in the morning, we all know what is good and what’s not for our stomach otherwise, but do we know every food has right and a wrong time when it should be consumed or avoided?
Several foods may wreak havoc with your gut if eaten on an empty stomach may be because you should give your digestive system some time to start functioning. This doesn’t mean we are saying to stay hungry and grumpy in the morning hours as we need to eat something to kick start our metabolism.
Few foods never to eat on an empty stomach are given below:
- Citrus Fruits
- Sugary foods or drinks
- Spicy and too oily food
- Aerated drinks
- Raw veggies
Fruits are healthy if they are eaten at the right time. Consuming citrus fruits on an empty stomach may increase acid production and also too much fiber and fructose in fruits can also make slow down your digestive system if eaten on an empty stomach. You should especially avoid eating fruits like guava and oranges early morning, especially citrus fruits on an empty stomach should be avoided by people diagnosed with diabetes or by those who have sensitive stomachs. High-acidic fruits such as oranges, lemons, sweet limes, and grapefruit can react with our digestive juices and cause irritation, heartburn, and gastric problems. High carbohydrates fruits in can raise morning sugar levels which can be dangerous for diabetics. To improve your digestive health, you can add soaked walnuts to the breakfast routine.
Though it is told that it’s healthy to have a glass of fruit juice to start your day, it may not be the case. Many doctors suggest not to start your day with a tall glass of fruit juice as it may put an extra load on the pancreas that are still waking up after long hours of rest. Since the stomach is empty, sugar in the form of fructose in fruits can cause an overload on your liver. Processed sugar in packaged juices is even worse, so avoid breakfast desserts or overly sweet smoothies.
Eating spices and chilies or relishing chhole bhature in breakfast or on an empty stomach may irritate the stomach lining which can lead to acidic reactions and cramps. Since spices are pungent in nature and can trigger indigestion, it is best to avoid heavy oil-laden meals.
Aerated drinks are bad for our health, no doubt at any point of the day it may be, but they are even worse when consumed on an empty stomach as the carbonated drinks’ acids mix with the stomach acids causing various health issues like nausea and gas. The stomach secretes acid to help in the digestion of your food, and if it’s empty, you’re just introducing additional acid into your digestive system which might lead to stomach cramps or pain.
Salads are great and healthy but at a specific time of the day. Raw vegetables are not advisable to eat on an empty stomach. As they are full of coarse fiber which may put an extra load on an empty stomach and can also cause bloating, flatulence, and abdominal pain when eaten on an empty stomach.
One of the reasons for that is the insoluble fiber contained in most greens which should be particularly avoided by people with weak digestion.
Over to you
Give a gap of at least two hours after you wake up before having breakfast and keep a check to try and delay the consumption of these food items mentioned above or not have an empty stomach.