The health of the stomach is closely related to diet. Many people nowadays have unhealthy eating habits, consuming high-oil, high-salt, and spicy foods all day long. These foods can burden the stomach with digestion and easily lead to stomach problems. It is a well-known fact that eating unhealthy foods all day can harm the stomach. However, some individuals may realize that even though they don’t regularly consume unhealthy foods and may even often drink porridge to nourish the stomach, their stomachs are still not in good condition. In reality, stomach health is not only related to what you eat but also to eating habits. There are four bad habits during meals that are particularly harmful to the stomach. If you have these bad habits, even drinking millet porridge every day may not improve your stomach condition.
Bad Habits that Harm the Stomach
Getting angry during meals is a habit that harms the stomach. Stomach health is not only influenced by what you eat but also by your mood during meals. Eating is a pleasant activity, and maintaining a pleasant mood while eating can help improve your digestion and make your stomach comfortable. Getting angry during meals can affect the secretion of digestive substances in the stomach, leading to indigestion. People who are often angry while eating usually have poor digestion.
Eating hot and cold foods together during meals is a harmful habit. Some people enjoy having cold drinks while eating, combining hot meals with cold drinks, which can be refreshing. Many young people, especially when having hotpot or barbecue, like to mix hot and cold foods. However, this dual stimulation can cause spasms in the stomach and make it more prone to discomforts like bloating, burping, and diarrhea if done frequently.
Eating too quickly is not a good habit and can harm the stomach. Eating too quickly without thorough chewing burdens the stomach with digestion, potentially damaging its health in the long run. Eating too quickly not only harms the stomach but can also contribute to weight gain. Therefore, individuals with stomach issues should slow down their eating pace.
Having long intervals between meals is also a bad habit that harms the stomach. Nowadays, many young individuals have irregular eating schedules, with long gaps between meals. For example, after having lunch at 11 am, they may have to wait until after 9 pm for dinner, creating a gap of about nine hours between two meals. Skipping breakfast and directly having lunch the next day also creates long intervals between meals. Normally, the stomach empties its contents in about four to five hours. If no food is consumed, more acidic substances are secreted, which can erode the stomach’s mucosa, leading to potential stomach issues over time.
It is often said that the stomach dislikes cold and that food should be eaten while hot. In reality, besides being averse to cold, the stomach is also sensitive to heat. Eating while the food is still too hot can scald the mucosa of the stomach. Regularly consuming very hot foods can damage the mucosa and worsen stomach health. Therefore, individuals with stomach issues should wait for the food to cool slightly before eating to avoid burning the mouth.
Some people like to drink a lot of water while eating. However, drinking too much water during meals is a harmful habit that can harm the stomach. The stomach contains acidic substances, and consuming too much water during meals dilutes these substances, reducing their antimicrobial properties. If there are any bacteria in the food, the dilution of the acidic substances may allow the bacteria to survive in the stomach, causing disturbances and burdening the stomach.
Stomach problems can cause various discomforts like abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite, impacting one’s health. Therefore, in daily life, it is essential to avoid these bad eating habits during meals and take care of your stomach.
