It is very common to lie down or sit after enjoying a scrumptious meal. “But, what we need to understand is that the rest should happen after a while and not immediately after lunch,” Nidhi S, a nutritionist, wrote on Instagram. “In fact, we should ideally not sit after our meals for some time. And of course, the same applies to dinner too,” she added. But why is it so?
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According to Nidhi,
*The blood volume of the digestive organs increases after a meal. This requires moderate body movement so as to have a proper amount of flow towards the organs. Sitting reduces mobility and hence impacts digestion.
*Sleeping slows down gastrointestinal mobility and the food does not easily get digested, causing indigestion.
*Lying down immediately after eating leads to easy accumulation of food in the stomach, especially for people with severe indigestion and weak physique. It also causes symptoms such as gastric acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux, and severe cases can also cause reflux esophagitis.
What should be done?
*Standing/walking: Standing after a meal is a good choice for people who sit a lot for work or study. One advantage is to help burn calories and reduce fat accumulation, and the other is to relieve the fatigue of sedentary sitting.
How?
“Make sure to maintain the right mobility,” suggested Nidhi.
*Quickly clean the kitchen
*Take a short walk
According to medicalnewstoday.com, a person should consider the length, intensity, and timing of their post-meal walk. As per the website, gentle walking after a meal has various health benefits but high-intensity exercise is not recommended as the process of digestion starts in the mouth as soon as a person starts eating, and can continue for hours afterwards. It states that intense, strenuous exercise can cause digestive distress.
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