Any meal, especially a plentiful one, we are used to ending with some kind of drink. This habit, preserved from deep childhood, when parents put a glass of water next to a plate. And, despite the fact that nutritionists, and just doctors, strongly recommend not to drink food, few people do without a glass of tea or coffee for dessert.
Let's talk specifically about coffee. Of course, if the question arises: to drink coffee on an empty stomach or after a meal, the answer will be unambiguous - after, but it is better to endure it for half an hour. In addition to caffeine, it contains chlorogenic acids, which increase the acidity of the stomach, leading to heartburn, and later gastritis.
Based on the fact that a good half of us do not adhere to the principles of a healthy diet and eat fatty, salty, spicy foods and a lot of refined foods, then drinking coffee immediately after a meal will have even more detrimental effect on the body: the blood sugar level rises by about 30%, and if you pour a cup into yourself - another coffee, and even with sugar and milk, then the glucose level will double more. Of course, a single intake is unlikely to cause significant harm to the body, but if the habit of drinking food already takes place, then there is a chance of getting diabetes.
In addition to a sharp increase in blood glucose, coffee, and any other drink, reduces the concentration of gastric secretions and food, instead of being completely digested, is washed off into the intestines, begins to ferment there, causing bloating, flatulence and epigastric pain.
In addition to disrupting the digestive system, there are other reasons not to consume coffee immediately after a meal:
- coffee itself does not contain any vitamins and trace elements, but its frequent use interferes with the absorption of many useful substances, for example, calcium, that is, even the healthiest food becomes useless in terms of enrichment with vitamins;
- coffee stimulates the appetite, and there is a possibility that in half an hour or an hour you will again want to eat;
- dulls the feeling of thirst, and then we do not consume enough water;
- the caffeine contained in the drink provokes a slight increase in intracranial pressure, but due to the diuretic effect, it decreases sharply. Imagine this swing in the body: you drank a cup - you raised the pressure, which in an hour and a half will return to normal, and then again a cup and an increase in pressure. Naturally, over time, this will lead to fragility of blood vessels, loss of their elasticity, and ultimately to cardiovascular diseases.
What conclusion can be drawn from all of the above?
- coffee can be consumed, 2-3 cups per day, in the morning;
- it is better to choose natural coffee and add a little milk and very little sugar to it;
- if possible, maintain an interval of 30 - 40 minutes after eating;
- refuse an instant substitute, such as three-in-one coffee.
