5 Things You Should Never Do Right After Eating (Number 3 Will Surprise You)

We are all aware of the potential consequences of our actions immediately after eating, but how harmful can seemingly 'obvious' actions like drinking tea, having fruit for dessert, and the like really be?

Research from the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina has identified several key things we do after eating, unaware of their negative effects.

Here are the five main things:

1. Drinking tea after a meal

Many believe that drinking tea immediately after a meal benefits them (evidenced by the lack of stomach aches or other side effects), but science thinks otherwise: The study found that different tea leaves contain acids that prevent the digestion of proteins in our bodies. This means it is advisable not to drink tea immediately after a meal but to wait at least an hour later.

2. Fruits – or not to be

Many of us cannot finish a good meal without having fruit as dessert, but once again, researchers highlight a warning: Eating fruit immediately after a meal keeps the fruit in the stomach in 'wait mode.' Since you have eaten a hearty meal beforehand, your intestines are busy with the food you've consumed, and it will take time until the fruits are allowed to enter as well. What happens to fruit that stays too long in the same place? You guessed it! They rot, as does everything beside them.

Fruits and vegetables take between twenty minutes to an hour to digest in the stomach itself (in healthy individuals), so it's best here too to wait an hour after a meal before eating fruits.

3. Walking right after eating? Bad move!

When talking about walking after a meal, it refers to any other accelerated activities that compel the somewhat 'heavy' body to perform involuntary actions. After eating, our body needs rest, and failure to follow this can, in extreme cases, cause gastric reflux (a phenomenon where acidic liquids from the stomach rise towards the esophagus and cause heartburn).

It's best to wait about half an hour after eating before starting any activity – whether it be walking or any other vigorous action.

4. Sleeping after eating? Not in our house!

If you go to sleep after eating, you may suffer from heartburn, infections, and serious digestive difficulties.

5. Showers immediately after eating

It is strictly forbidden to shower immediately after eating, as water stimulates blood circulation and in doing so interferes with the digestion process. It's important to wait two hours after eating before showering.