4 Common Beverages to Avoid on an Empty Stomach
Coffee
Coffee is a very familiar beverage to white-collar workers shuttling between office buildings--cafes are the preferred venues for daily business meetings, and coffee is also a great pick-me-up for overtime and late nights.
The caffeine in coffee stimulates the sympathetic nervous system after entering the body, thereby eliminating sleepiness, improving blood circulation, making the body feel warm, and reducing fatigue, which is why it has a "pick-me-up" effect.
However, stimulation and excitement of the sympathetic nervous system have a negative effect on appetite, meaning appetite will decrease. Therefore, drinking coffee before a meal can lead to a loss of appetite. Additionally, stimulation of the stomach increases gastric acid secretion, which can irritate an empty stomach and is detrimental to patients with conditions like stomach ulcers. However, drinking it after a meal can aid digestion because of the increased gastric acid secretion. Therefore, drinking it after a meal is absolutely fine.
Of course, as the saying goes, "too much of a good thing is bad." Even the best things should be consumed in moderation. As a rule of thumb, two to three cups of coffee a day is appropriate. For most people, drinking four or five cups can cause nausea, so be careful.
Honey
Honey is a nutritionally rich natural food and one of the most commonly used supplements. It contains various inorganic salts and vitamins whose concentration is similar to human blood serum, making it easy for the body to absorb. Many white-collar workers have the habit of drinking honey water to prevent constipation, nourish the skin, and maintain overall health.
Experts remind: The time of consuming honey is very important. It is recommended to drink it 1.5 to 2 hours after a meal. Drinking honey water on an empty stomach can easily increase the body's acidity, and over time, this can lead to excessive stomach acid and cause stomach ulcers or duodenal ulcers.
For people with poor digestion, it is best to drink it with water at 30°C to avoid adverse symptoms like diarrhea or gastroenteritis. However, the temperature should not be too high. From a pharmacological perspective, heating honey above 67°C can destroy its vitamins and reduce its aroma, lowering its nutritional value.
Weight Loss Tea
Summer is the best time to get fit, lose weight, and show off a great figure. Many white-collar workers who want to correct their figure and prevent obesity rely on weight loss tea to control their weight.
Tea is a beverage we are all too familiar with. Most people know that you shouldn't drink tea immediately after a meal; it's best to wait for half an hour. However, many people fail to notice that tea should also not be consumed on an empty stomach. The ancient saying, "Do not drink tea on an empty stomach," means exactly this. Because tea contains caffeine and other alkaloids, drinking it on an empty stomach can lead to excessive absorption of these substances by the intestines, easily causing gastrointestinal discomfort and loss of appetite.
Currently popular weight loss tea products on the market emphasize the concept of tea therapy and health, with main ingredients extracted from natural tea leaves. Therefore, they are also not suitable for consumption on an empty stomach. Moreover, according to a person in charge at a well-known domestic weight loss tea brand, Bi Sheng Yuan, drinking it correctly can make the weight loss tea more effective, and one very important rule is to drink it after a meal, and never on an empty stomach.
Yogurt
People often discuss how to drink yogurt for better health or when is the best time for nutrient absorption. If consumed on an empty stomach, yogurt can easily stimulate the gastrointestinal tract to empty quickly, and the nutrients in the yogurt won't have enough time to be fully digested and absorbed before being expelled. Drinking it after a meal can reduce this stimulation and allow the yogurt to be slowly absorbed in the stomach.
Li Guangyi, a nutrition expert, explains: Generally, the best time to drink yogurt is 30 minutes to 2 hours after a meal. Under normal conditions, the pH value of gastric juice is between 1 and 3. When the stomach is empty, the gastric juice is acidic with a pH value below 2, which is not suitable for the growth of active lactic acid bacteria in yogurt. Only when the stomach's pH value is higher can the lactic acid bacteria in the yogurt grow fully, which is beneficial to health. Additionally, the optimal temperature for drinking yogurt is 10°C-12°C. Note that the temperature should not exceed 50°C, as this will deactivate the beneficial bacteria.