11 Foods You Should Never Eat on an Empty Stomach

Many people sometimes don't have time for a proper meal and just grab something else to eat. In fact, some foods should not be eaten on an empty stomach. The editor has compiled a list of 11 foods you should avoid eating on an empty stomach. Let's take a look!

Foods Not to Eat on an Empty Stomach

1. Milk, Soy Milk

These two foods contain a large amount of protein. When consumed on an empty stomach, the protein is "forced" to be converted into energy for consumption, failing to provide its nutritional and nourishing effects. The correct way to drink them is to consume them with foods containing flour, such as pastries or flatbreads, or to drink them two hours after a meal, or before bedtime.

2. Yogurt

Drinking yogurt on an empty stomach can diminish its health benefits. However, drinking it two hours after a meal or before bedtime can provide nourishment, promote digestion, and help with gas and bowel regularity.

Cranberry Yogurt Cake

3. White Liquor/Spirits

Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach irritates the gastric mucosa, and over time can easily lead to gastritis, gastric ulcers, and other diseases. Furthermore, when a person's stomach is empty, their blood sugar is already low. Drinking alcohol at this time can quickly lead to hypoglycemia in the body. The brain tissue will suffer from functional impairment due to a lack of glucose supply, leading to dizziness, palpitations, cold sweats, and hunger. In severe cases, hypoglycemic coma may occur.

4. Bananas

Bananas contain a relatively high amount of magnesium. Eating bananas on an empty stomach can cause a sharp increase in magnesium levels in the body, disrupting the magnesium-calcium balance in the blood, which can inhibit the cardiovascular system and is not good for your health.

5. Hawthorn, Oranges

They contain large amounts of organic acids, fruit acids, hawthorn acid, citric acid, etc. Consuming them on an empty stomach can cause a sharp increase in stomach acid, adversely stimulating the gastric mucosa and leading to symptoms like bloating, belching, and acid regurgitation.

Crispy Banana Rolls

Extended Reading: A Guide to Eating Bananas

6. Garlic

Garlic contains allicin, which has a strong pungent taste. Eating garlic on an empty stomach can cause strong irritation to the gastric mucosa and intestinal walls, leading to gastrointestinal cramps and colic.

7. Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes contain tannins and pectin, which can stimulate the stomach wall to secrete more stomach acid, causing discomfort such as heartburn.

8. Tea

Drinking tea on an empty stomach can dilute gastric juice and reduce digestive function. It can also cause "tea intoxication," which is characterized by palpitations, dizziness, headache, fatigue, and unsteady standing.

9. Sugar

Sugar is a food that is very easily digested and absorbed. Eating a large amount of sugar on an empty stomach means the body cannot secrete enough insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels in a short time, causing a sharp increase in blood sugar, which can easily lead to eye diseases. Moreover, sugar is an acidic food, and eating it on an empty stomach can disrupt the body's acid-base balance and the balance of various microorganisms, which is detrimental to health.

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato Balls

Extended Reading: A Guide to Eating Sweet Potatoes

10. Persimmons, Tomatoes

They contain a significant amount of pectin and tannic acid. These substances react with stomach acid to form an indissolvable gel-like mass, which can easily lead to stomach stones.

11. Cold Drinks

Consuming large amounts of frozen foods on an empty stomach can cause the gastrointestinal tract to go into spasms. Over time, this will lead to the disruption of various enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions and trigger gastrointestinal diseases.

In the future, when you are very hungry, try to avoid the foods listed above unless it's absolutely necessary. For our health, we can first eat something like cookies or bread to fill our stomachs before consuming these foods.

Tomato Potato Beef Stew

Extended Reading: A Guide to Eating Tomatoes

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