We all overindulge occasionally and may feel uncomfortably bloated or guilty afterwards. However, you should not stress too much about it as one generously-sized portion of food will not ruin your health.
Instead of feeling guilty about your eating habits, which can make you feel deprived and cause you to binge in an unhealthy cycle, try these activities after your meal recommended by WebMD.
Drink water
Sipping – not chugging! – a glass of water after a big meal will help your body get rid of any excess salt you consumed from your meal. It can also help to prevent constipation.
Eat slowly and mindfully
Your stomach takes about 20 minutes to tell your brain that it is full. If you have overeaten in the first ten minutes, you have probably not given your brain a chance to figure it out. Make sure that you slow down as this will help you to simultaneously eat fewer calories and feel satisfied.
Regarding eating mindfully, try looking at eating as a kind of meditation – pay attention to the flavour, feel, and colour of your food. Take small bites, chew well and stop in between bites to ask yourself if you are feeling full yet. This process can help you eat less and feel more satisfied.
Leave the carbonated drinks
When drinking a fizzy drink, you swallow gas that fills up your digestive system, making you feel even more bloated. You could burp it away. However, the rest will move through your digestive system until you pass it as gas.
Don’t lie down
If you lie down with a full stomach after a hearty meal, you lose the chance to burn off the calories you ate. You also risk the chance of the food coming back up. This can slow digestion and worsen acid reflux (GERD).
Go for a walk
Taking a nice, slow walk will help stimulate your digestion and even out your blood sugar levels. Do not overdo it though, as this could send the blood to your legs instead of your stomach, which could slow digestion.
