Being very hungry and eager to fill your stomach is very harmful to your health. The following lists several foods that should not be eaten on an empty stomach to avoid unnecessary harm to your health.
◎ Persimmons, Tomatoes
They contain a lot of pectin and tannic acid. These substances react with stomach acid to form indissolvable gel-like masses, which can easily lead to stomach stones. Eating persimmons on an empty stomach causes a large amount of persimmon gum and red tannin收敛剂 to coagulate with stomach acid, forming hard "persimmon stones." This can easily cause nausea, vomiting, gastric ulcers, and even gastric perforation. Eating persimmons after a meal makes it less likely to form "persimmon stones."
◎ Bananas
Bananas contain a relatively high amount of magnesium, an element that affects heart function and has an inhibitory effect on the cardiovascular system. Eating bananas on an empty stomach causes a sharp increase in magnesium in the body, disrupting the magnesium-calcium balance in the blood and inhibiting the cardiovascular system, which is not good for your health.
◎ Hawthorn, Oranges
They contain a large amount of organic acids, fruit acids, hawthorn acid, citric acid, etc. Eating them on an empty stomach will cause a sharp increase in stomach acid, adversely irritating the gastric mucosa, causing the stomach to feel bloated and acid reflux. Eating them on an empty stomach can also increase the feeling of hunger and worsen existing stomach pain.
◎ Milk, Soy Milk
These two foods contain a large amount of protein. If consumed on an empty stomach, the protein will be "forced" to be converted into energy and burned off, failing to provide nutritional benefits. The best way to drink them is to consume them with foods containing flour, drink them two hours after a meal, or drink them before bed. This way, they can provide nourishment, promote health, aid digestion, and help with gas and bowel movements.
Expert: Many harms of drinking milk on an empty stomach
Tip: Yogurt can be consumed on an empty stomach
Associate Professor Fan Zhihong of the College of Food Science at China Agricultural University believes: If the yogurt is not too sour, it is perfectly fine to drink it on an empty stomach in the morning, unless you have a stomach ulcer or excess stomach acid, in which case you should avoid eating sour foods on an empty stomach. For people with indigestion or low stomach acid, drinking yogurt with meals can actually promote digestion.
As for the death of lactic acid bacteria, it is true that when the stomach is empty, the concentration of stomach acid is high, and lactic acid bacteria can easily die in a strong acid environment, affecting their health benefits. But even without the lactic acid bacteria, the overall nutritional value of yogurt is still superior to that of milk.
The nutritional components of yogurt are very suitable to be used as a meal replacement. The claim that protein is wasted is merely a speculation made without understanding the composition of yogurt and is not scientifically sound. If you are too busy at work to have a meal, it is a good idea to buy a bottle of yogurt in advance and drink it while working, which is much more reasonable than using cookies or chocolate to get by.
◎ Sugar
Sugar is a food that is very easily digested and absorbed. Eating too much sugar on an empty stomach will cause a sudden increase in blood sugar. The human body cannot secrete enough insulin in a short period to maintain normal blood sugar levels, and a sharp increase in blood sugar can easily lead to eye diseases. Moreover, sugar is an acidic food, and eating it on an empty stomach will also disrupt the body's acid-base balance and the balance of various microorganisms, which is detrimental to health. It is not advisable to eat sugar on an empty stomach.
◎ Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes contain tannins and pectin. If eaten on an empty stomach, they will stimulate the stomach wall to secrete more stomach acid, causing discomfort such as heartburn.
◎ Cold Drinks
Consuming a large amount of various frozen foods on an empty stomach can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract to go into cramps, and over time, this will lead to disorders in various enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions, inducing gastrointestinal diseases. It can also cause damage to the function of internal organs. For women, it can also cause menstrual irregularities during their period.
◎ Alcohol
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can easily irritate the gastric mucosa, causing various diseases such as gastritis and gastric ulcers. The body can easily experience hypoglycemia, leading to dizziness, cold sweats, palpitations, and in severe cases, hypoglycemia, coma, or even death. How do you know if your blood sugar is low? Do not drink alcohol on an empty stomach if you have low blood sugar.
◎ Garlic
Garlic contains pungent allicin. Eating garlic on an empty stomach will irritate the gastric mucosa and intestinal walls, causing stomach cramps and affecting gastrointestinal digestive function.
◎ Tea
Drinking tea on an empty stomach will dilute stomach acid and reduce digestive function. It can also cause "tea drunkenness," which is manifested as palpitations, dizziness, weakness in the limbs, gastrointestinal discomfort, and hunger in the abdomen.
◎ Black Dates
Black dates contain a large amount of pectin and tannic acid. These components combine with stomach acid to form hard lumps in the stomach, just like with persimmons.
◎ Vitamins
Although vitamins are not food, if taken on an empty stomach, they will be excreted in the feces before the body has a chance to absorb and utilize them. For example, fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A can only be absorbed by the gastrointestinal mucosa when dissolved in fat, so they should be taken after a meal to be more completely absorbed by the body.
◎ Pineapple
Pineapple, rich in strong enzymes, can damage the stomach if eaten on an empty stomach. Its nutrients are better absorbed when eaten after a meal.