When the body is in a state of hunger, blood sugar levels will relatively decrease. However, when blood sugar drops to a certain level, symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, and weakness can occur. In severe cases, discomfort like palpitations, cold sweats, and hand tremors may appear. At this point, the driver's sense of direction and judgment are impaired, and their reaction ability declines, all of which can become hidden dangers for traffic accidents.
Foods Not to Eat on an Empty Stomach
1. Sugar
Sugar is a food that is easily digested and absorbed, especially when you are on an empty stomach, as the sugar you eat can be almost immediately fully absorbed by the body. This can cause two problems: one is a temporary phenomenon of high blood sugar in the body, and the other is that sugar hinders the body's absorption and utilization of protein.
2. Persimmons, Black Jujubes, Hawthorn
Eating the above foods on an empty stomach can easily lead to gastroliths. Most gastroliths are plant-based, often caused by consuming large amounts of persimmons, black jujubes, or hawthorn on an empty stomach. These fruits contain astringent tannic acid, with particularly high content in unripe fruits. When it comes into contact with gastric acid, it forms tannic acid protein, which is difficult to dissolve in water. When it then coagulates with pectin and plant fibers, it forms a gastrolith.
Gastrolithiasis is a relatively common acute gastric disease. Its symptoms include discomfort in the upper abdomen, bloating, dull pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Common complications include erosion of the gastric mucosa, ulcer bleeding, and severe cases can lead to gastric perforation and peritonitis. If a gastrolith enters the intestine, it may also cause intestinal obstruction.
Experts remind that to avoid such diseases, people should not consume hawthorn or fruits from the persimmon family on an empty stomach, especially not in large quantities or by eating the unripe fruits of these two plants.
3. Alcohol, Coffee, Milk, Strong Tea
Drinking alcohol itself is detrimental to health, and the harm is even greater when consumed on an empty stomach, as it damages the stomach and easily intoxicates. With no food in the stomach to buffer it, the body urgently tries to absorb substances (alcohol), and alcohol directly stimulates and erodes the gastric mucosa and muscle layers, inhibiting the secretion of various digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, easily causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating, loss of appetite, dizziness and tinnitus, muscle tremors, and shortness of breath.
Coffee stimulates gastric acid secretion, and it can be irritating to the stomach even when consumed on a non-empty stomach. Drinking stimulating coffee on an empty stomach can easily cause "injury to the stomach's qi," thereby affecting the digestive and absorptive functions of the stomach. In severe cases, it can lead to gastric ulcers, a point that people with gastric ulcers should pay special attention to.
In fact, for most people, drinking milk on an empty stomach is not a big problem, but some people with gastrointestinal issues or congenital "lactose intolerance" should not drink milk on an empty stomach, especially not a large amount. Otherwise, adverse conditions such as bloating and diarrhea may occur. It is recommended that such people first eat some starchy foods before drinking milk in small amounts and multiple times.
Tea also contains alkaloids such as caffeine. If consumed on an empty stomach, it can cause excitatory symptoms in some people, such as palpitations, dizziness, weak limbs, and a trance-like state. People who are not used to drinking tea are more likely to experience these symptoms if they drink tea on an empty stomach. Furthermore, compared to young people, the elderly have more fragile digestive systems and are even less suited to drinking strong tea on an empty stomach, as it can cause indigestion or constipation.
Of course, these warnings are for some people. Some people may have a naturally strong stomach and have no problem eating the above foods on an empty stomach. Consider this a friendly reminder from us. Actually, paying attention to what you eat is not the only thing to consider on an empty stomach; you should also pay close attention to the following matters.
5 Things Not to Do on an Empty Stomach
1. Exercise
The body's main source of energy is carbohydrates, proteins, etc., from the diet. If we exercise without eating anything, we will inevitably need to consume a large amount of energy, causing blood sugar levels to drop.
If you exercise excessively and your blood sugar concentration is too low, the brain may feel fatigued from lack of energy, and you will feel dizzy and weak. Some people may also turn pale, break out in cold sweats. If this continues, it can lead to confusion, and even fainting.
2. Intravenous Drip
It is best not to have an intravenous drip on an empty stomach. Because after the drug enters the blood vessels, it circulates with the blood into the gastrointestinal capillaries, stimulating the gastrointestinal mucosa and causing an increase in gastric juice secretion. Without food to neutralize it, this can cause symptoms such as acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, and pain.
In addition to the reaction from the drip itself, fasting can also induce or aggravate adverse drug reactions. If the patient is in good health, delaying a meal may not be a big issue, but if the injected drug affects blood sugar, it may cause hypoglycemia.
3. Bathing
As the saying goes, "Don't wash your hair when full, don't bathe when hungry," and there is some truth to this. Bathing on an empty stomach before a meal can easily lead to hypoglycemia, causing fatigue, dizziness, and even symptoms of collapse. It's also not good to bathe immediately after a meal; it's best to wait an hour or longer after eating.
4. Driving
When the body is in a state of hunger, blood sugar levels will relatively decrease. However, when blood sugar drops to a certain level, symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, and weakness can occur. In severe cases, discomfort like palpitations, cold sweats, and hand tremors may appear. At this point, the driver's sense of direction and judgment are impaired, and their reaction ability declines, all of which can become hidden dangers for traffic accidents.
5. Getting an Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Getting an ECG on an empty stomach may lead to hypoglycemia, causing a rapid heartbeat and resulting in "sinus tachycardia," which affects the accuracy of the test results. Therefore, to ensure the accuracy of the results, it is advisable to eat something before the ECG and rest quietly for 10 minutes, ensuring even breathing before the examination.