What To Do After Eating Too Much
On occasion, we can all ingest higher quantities of foods than is necessary or recommended. Whether it’s a special occasion such as a birthday or a reunion with friends, or whether its because the food is exceptionally good, we aren’t always able to say no to more. So, what can we do after eating in excess to mitigate the consequences?
One of the principal pillars of a healthy diet is a caloric balance. It’s important to not ingest more calories than you’re consuming if you don’t want to gain weight. If this happens, your health could be negatively affected in the future.
Here, we’ll list out some recommendations for those moments when you haven’t been able to stay on track. Take note ready for the next festive occasion or weekend when you need it!
After eating too much, try a digestive aid
When you’ve finished eating, if you’ve ingested foods in excess, although eating more doesn’t always seem like the obvious choice, it can be helpful. A good option is to consume fruit with digestive character to help avoid possible gastric problems.
One good example is pineapple. This fruit contains bromelain, an enzyme with proteolytic properties that facilitate the digestive process.
In addition, pineapple has a light diuretic effect which can help you avoid retaining liquids. This is especially useful to avoid the bloating feeling after eating large amounts of foods. In this way, there’ll be a lower risk of experiencing stomach or intestinal issues.
Exercise
After eating too much, once you’ve digested, its always recommended to actively engage your body so you can guarantee an energetic balance. You can do physical activity to increase the calories you burn and help mitigate the impact of the food you ate.
According to research published in the journal Circulation Research, being overweight increases the risk of developing cardiovascular illnesses. For this reason, it’s fundamental to exercise and stay actively engaged. This is the best way to prevent this harmful situation for your body.
After eating in excess, fast
Surely you’ve heard of intermittent fasting. It’s all the rage these days. It’s a dietary protocol that, in addition to provoking beneficial physiological effects, also helps maintain a caloric balance. After eating in excess, it’s likely that you’ll have enough energy to be able to spend hours without eating again and it won’t affect your ability to carry out your daily activities.
With intermittent fasting, you’ll be able to reduce the risk of gaining weight. This is according to a study published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. In addition, you’ll have a lower resistance to insulin, which is favorable for foods rich in carbohydrates. Insulin resistance is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, which is a chronic illness that can change your way of life.
On the other hand, fasting will give your body and digestive system a rest. In the case that your appetite returns and you’re not able to continue with the fasting period, try eating only light foods. For example, yogurt with dried fruits should be sufficient to supply quality nutrients for your body while slowing down your appetite or anxiety.
Plan ahead to help avoid excessive eating
When it comes time to plan your diet, it’s important that it’s varied and balanced from the point of view of calories. The ideal would be to never eat in excess, but we all know that this is difficult to put into practice.
Family engagements, for example, are an occasion in which everyone tends to ingest more foods than necessary. This doesn’t have to be damaging for your health as long as it doesn’t turn into a habit.
If you follow the advice that we’ve proposed, you’ll be able to mitigate the effect of consuming too much food. Remember that some of the strategies we’ve suggested can be applied daily since they’re beneficial for your health and have been verified by science.
In this sense, both the practice of daily physical exercise as well as intermittent fasts can collaborate to reduce the risk of developing complex illnesses in both the short and long term. We can confirm that they positively contribute to a better state of health and help avoid the complications that can originate from being overweight and obese.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Ortega FB., Lavie CJ., Blair SN., Obesity and cardiovascular disease. Circ Res, 2016. 118(11): 1752-70.
- Santos HO., Macedo RCO., Impact of intermittent fasting on the lipid profile: assessment associated with diet and weight loss. Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2018.
