Things You Should Never Do on an Empty Stomach

Things You Should Never Do on an Empty Stomach

 When you wake up in the morning and your stomach is growling, it’s tempting to think about food first thing. But if you’re not careful, you could end up regretting that decision later on in the day. Before you go to work or run errands, check out this list of things you should never do on an empty stomach.

 

1) Don’t skip breakfast

Don’t skip breakfast. It sets you up for a day of overeating, says Dr. Rolls. When we wake up in the morning, our body is in fasting mode, and it needs food to function properly. If you don’t eat first thing in the morning, your body will turn to its next best source of fuel: your fat stores. That’s why people who go on ‘breakfast-skipping diets’ end up gaining weight—they are actually skipping meals, which causes them to become more hungry throughout the day, leading them to eat more than they would if they had just eaten breakfast like everyone else, she explains. So if you want a flat belly that shows off those washboard abs, make sure you start each morning with a healthy meal or snack.

 

2) Don’t eat too much sugar

Sugar spikes can make you feel jittery and leave you with a mid-afternoon crash. If you have to have some, limit it to once a day and make sure it’s natural rather than processed. Those foods labeled low fat are usually full of sugar. Avoid them at all costs! These include cereal bars, granola bars, diet sodas and baked goods. Your body doesn’t recognize artificial sweeteners as real food so it doesn’t know when to stop eating them. That leads to overconsumption of calories from other sources as well as increased cravings for sweets.

 

3) Don’t skip meals

Skipping meals is a sure-fire way to deprive your body of nutrients, which can lead to fatigue and sleepiness. Make sure you’re eating three square meals per day and getting enough protein (20–30 percent of your daily calories). In addition, make sure to snack throughout the day to keep yourself feeling full. Because blood sugar drops if we don’t eat for a few hours or more, snacking provides energy when glucose levels are low. Snacks should be healthy, such as fruits and nuts. If you need something sweet, choose something with natural sugars like dark chocolate or dried fruit instead of cookies or candy bars.

 

4) Don’t drink too much alcohol

It’s a good idea to avoid alcohol altogether if you’re not used to it. It may be tempting to have a few drinks before hitting a party or event, but you don’t want to be inebriated when you arrive—that could make for some really bad decisions. Also, drinking too much makes food taste that much better; studies show that excessive consumption of alcohol can increase appetite and influence what and how much we eat at meals. So plan ahead and stick to just one drink (or two) per occasion. And remember: A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 11⁄2 ounces of distilled spirits (hard liquor).

 

5) Don’t consume coffee or energy drinks without eating something first

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget to eat. But eating breakfast sets you up for success by providing your body with energy and by helping control your appetite throughout the day. If you consume coffee or energy drinks without first eating something, you may feel jittery and your caffeine buzz could make you overeat later in the day. Also, drinking too much coffee can lead to dehydration, which can make you feel tired and sluggish. The combination of low blood sugar and dehydration is a recipe for disaster—you might find yourself consuming high-calorie foods at lunch simply because you don’t have enough energy to resist them! Instead of skipping meals or consuming caffeinated beverages on an empty stomach, try drinking a glass of water before each meal so that you are less likely to experience hunger pangs during lunchtime.

 

6) Don’t read your email while eating

We are biologically programmed to consume calories whenever they’re available, but now with constant email access, there’s no need to wait for hunger pangs to send you in search of food. Email waiting only leads to snacking. Before reaching for that mid-morning bagel, switch your computer screen off and focus on your breakfast. Interrupting your meal will only leave you feeling unsatisfied, and then more likely to snack later than if you hadn’t gone looking for snacks at all. This is because eating is a survival instinct – interrupt it by doing something else and it’ll become harder to resist.

There are plenty of things we shouldn't do while driving—texting being chief among them—but according to new research from Pennsylvania State University, talking on a cell phone isn't so bad either. In fact, researchers found that talking while driving may be safer than talking while stopped at a red light or stuck in traffic.

 

7) Don’t drink water with meals

Drinking water with meals can dilute your stomach acid, making it harder for your body to digest food. In fact, research has shown that people who drink a lot of water with their meals are three times more likely to have heartburn and indigestion than those who abstain from H2O while eating. Stick to other beverages during mealtimes and try drinking a glass of H20 before bed or before breakfast. 

If you need something to drink while you’re sitting down to eat, reach for some tea instead. A study published in Obesity in 2011 found that when participants drank green tea along with a meal they ate fewer calories later in the day. More specifically, those who downed two cups of green tea while they ate consumed 90 fewer calories over time than those who didn’t—an average difference of about 14 between both groups!

 

8) Don’t have a huge meal before going to bed

If you go to bed with a full stomach, chances are you’ll have trouble sleeping through the night. That is because your body has too much work to do digesting all of that food, which will occupy energy and slow down your metabolism. If you’re not careful about what you eat before going to bed, you may find yourself waking up frequently in discomfort. The best time to eat dinner is between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. This way, your body can rest while it digests your meal without having any digestion issues keeping you awake at night.

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