One should always be cautious about the first thing you have in the morning. Some food good for you when eaten on an empty stomach can turn harmful. Ignoring it can actually cause problems. Including the food that can be a good part of a balanced breakfast is not the only thing that you have to consider. Actually, there are a lot of healthy foods that you have to avoid as well, as they are harmful to be consumed on an empty stomach.

So, here are five foods you should avoid eating on an empty stomach:-

1. Yogurt: Empty stomach’s hydrochloric acid kills the ‘good for you’ lactic acid bacteria present in yogurt. Although eating yogurt on an empty stomach doesn’t harm you, it will not provide you with all its health benefits if your stomach is empty.

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2. Fruits to avoid: Pear, banana and citrus fruits can make matter worse if they are consumed on an empty stomach. Pear has crude fibre that can injure the mucous membranes of an empty stomach. Eating banana on an empty stomach can cause harm to your heart by sharply increasing the amount of magnesium in the blood stream. If you eat citrus fruits like grapefruit as first thing in the morning, they can irritate lower oesophagus. Due to the presence of high levels of tannic acid in tomatoes, they should be completely avoided when the stomach is empty as they increase acidity and may cause gastric ulcers. Save them for lunch and dinner time.

3. Sugary foods: Delicious foods like pastries, cupcakes and short crusts contain a type of yeast that can irritate your stomach lining causing flatulence. Also, the processed sugar contained by them can overload the liver. So they should be avoided on an empty stomach.

4. Spicy food: Spicy food is inherently known for irritating the stomach lining especially when it is empty.

5. Sweet beverages: For many people, tea or coffee seems to be a must to have as first thing in the morning. But they are harmful as they can cause nausea and stomach irritation. They can increase acidity and worsen the symptoms of gastritis. Classic fruit juices should also be avoided to have on an empty stomach. They contain good amount of refined sugar that may increase your blood sugar levels.  Juices may leave you vulnerable to cravings and energy dips throughout the day. Drinking carbonated drinks as first thing in morning can damage the mucous membranes and reduce blood supply to the stomach making food digest very slowly. It can cause constipation. With no food in stomach, if alcohol is consumed, the rate in which it travels through the blood stream is increased, maximising the damage to the organs. So it should be completely avoided.

Empty stomach means absence of food and drink, except water in your stomach. It is more sensitive comparatively as all the food you have ingested has been digested and the first thing you put in your mouth when you wake up becomes crucial for your health. Know the basics of what should and shouldn’t be eaten at this meal time.