Mahendra K. Shah - V-Trans

CHILL OUT ZONE!
Many of us cultivate habits, beliefs, or practices that could adversely affect our health. Here we present ten such habits:
1. Drinking Cold Water: It is natural for most of us to enjoy a glass or two of iced / chilled
water, unaware of the fact that it freezes fats in the food, especially those containing oils
and ghee. The fat accumulates in the intestines narrowing the digestive tract leading to
obesity. Drinking water at normal temperature a few minutes after eating is good;
however, lukewarm water is much better and healthier.
2. Eating fruits – Everyone likes to gorge on fruits after a meal.
Under normal circumstances, it usually takes 1–2 hours for
normal food to digest. Eating fruits immediately prolongs this
process. Besides symptoms of diarrhea, constipation and
excessive stomach acid, it causes the stomach to bloat. It is therefore advisable
to eat fruits one or two hours later or an hour before meal.
3. Drinking tea – Most of us love to indulge in a cup of tea after a nice meal. Tea
leaves contain a high amount of tannin. This substance mixes with the
undigested food to form sediments, affecting the absorption of proteins. Tea
also affects the iron in the body, causing anemia.
4. Smoking – experiments have proven that smoking a cigarette
immediately increases blood circulation 10 times faster,
causing damage to liver, brain and blood vessels of the heart
and increases chances of cancer forming cells.
5. Relaxing belt – Making the waist belt loose to reduce
tightness immediately after a heavy meal decreases air
pressure in the abdominal cavity, causing the stomach to sag downwards.
Continued habit causes blocked intestines and severe diseases.
6. Bathing immediately after meal increases blood flow
to hands, legs and body thereby decreasing the amount
of blood in the gastro-intestinal tract weakening the
digestive system leading to indigestion.
7. Walking – Often heard people saying that a brisk walk - say a hundred steps
after a meal makes one live until 99. This is not true. On the contrary, the
digestive system is unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake,
constrict the blood vessels affect the abdominal cavity.
8. Singing: After eating, the stomach walls become thinner due to the food contents. The
blood flow increases. In this condition, singing increases the burden on stomach cavity,
cause disruption of digestion and downward movement of food.
9. Driving should be avoided because the blood flow is more
towards the stomach to digest the food and less towards the
brain making it dull leading to judgmental errors and cause
accidents.
10. Sleep: Laying down on bed or sleeping immediately after taking food retards
digestion leading to gastric and infection in the intestines.
Remember, it is never too late to reverse your habits
for a happier, healthier life.
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