Habits to break before your next meal

Recognizing bad habits is the first step in correcting them. These post-meal habits are the ones to watch out for since they can promote an unhealthy lifestyle.

1. Avoid tea an hour before and after your meal

Tea leaves are acidic and will affect the digestion process. If you consume protein in the meal, the acid from the tea will harden the protein content, making it difficult to digest. Drinking tea immediately after a meal will also interfere with iron absorption by the body. Avoid tea one hour before and after meals.

2. Bathing

Taking a bath or shower right after dinner or a full meal causes a slight decrease in body temperature. Instead of blood flowing to the stomach for digestion, it flows to the other parts of the body to maintain body temperature. The skin has a large surface area, so regulating the temperature after a bath takes up a lot of time and delays digestion, resulting in discomfort and unease.

3. Sleeping

Taking a nap or heading to bed after a hefty meal may cause an uneasy sensation, as the body may encounter indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive problems that disrupt nighttime sleep. Therefore, eating 3 hours before sleeping is recommended to give the body ample time to digest the food.

4. Avoid drinking Cold Water.

Drinking chilled water immediately after a meal interferes with your body's ability to break down fats. The cold temperature of water solidifies fats from the foods, making it difficult for your body to break down the unwanted fats from your body. Therefore, avoid cold water directly after your meal; drinking one glass before you eat is recommended.

5. Smoking

Smoking is considered harmful to health, but smoking after a meal can have greater repercussions. Smoking after a meal can cause heartburn by relaxing your lower esophageal sphincter. However, smoking, in either case, is not recommended, but after a hefty meal, avoid a cigarette for at least 20 minutes.