These three foods can be eaten on an empty stomach
Misunderstanding: Drinking milk on an empty stomach can lead to diarrhea
Myth refutation: If symptoms such as bloating, farting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain occur when drinking milk on an empty stomach, it may be caused by "lactose intolerance". This type of population lacks lactase in the intestines and is unable to effectively break down lactose in milk or other foods, which can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. If it is lactose intolerance, corresponding symptoms may occur even when not on an empty stomach, so there is no relationship between diarrhea caused by drinking milk and fasting.
Misunderstanding 2: Eating persimmons on an empty stomach can lead to stomach stones
Myth refutation: The tannic acid, pectin, and stomach acid in persimmons react to form clumps, and then the food fibers that are eaten will condense onto the clumps, forming stomach stones. Especially when persimmons are eaten together with high protein foods such as fish, shrimp, and crabs, they are more likely to form stomach stones. But immature persimmons only have a large amount of "tannic acid", which is 25 times that of mature persimmons. So eat in moderation and peel it off, such as one at a time or eating ripe persimmons, even on an empty stomach without worrying too much about getting stomach stones.
Myth 3: Eating bananas on an empty stomach can increase heart load
Myth refutation: Bananas are indeed foods with high levels of magnesium and potassium, but even on an empty stomach, magnesium and potassium are slowly absorbed by the body and do not quickly enter the bloodstream to increase the burden on the heart. So eating a moderate amount on an empty stomach, such as 1 to 2 bananas, is generally not a problem. However, it should be noted that patients with impaired kidney function are not recommended to eat more or eat bananas on an empty stomach, as these individuals may have impaired potassium excretion function and are prone to hyperkalemia.
You shouldn't eat these things when you're hungry
Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Alcohol is more likely to stimulate the gastric mucosa, causing gastritis and gastric ulcers. In addition, alcohol is more easily absorbed and drunk on an empty stomach. Eating some staple food or drinking some milk before drinking can relatively reduce the harm of alcohol to the body.
Of course, not drinking alcohol is the healthiest.
Don't eat stimulating, spicy, sour, spicy, or cold foods on an empty stomach. It is not recommended to eat on an empty stomach. Irritating foods can also stimulate the gastric mucosa, leading to gastrointestinal spasms, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. If your stomach is strong enough, it may be okay to do so once or twice, but regularly eating stimulating foods on an empty stomach may trigger gastrointestinal diseases.
Before conducting an examination, figure out what "fasting" means
Many of the tests we do at the hospital require you to maintain an empty stomach, so what exactly constitutes an empty stomach? There are two ways to define an empty stomach: in daily life, when we talk about an empty stomach, it generally refers to 4 to 5 hours after a meal. Food digestion takes about 4 to 5 hours, and after digestion, the human body will feel hungry, which is the "fasting" situation mentioned earlier; In medicine, fasting refers to not eating for 8 to 12 hours. This standard will be stricter than the fasting standard in daily life, as many medical examinations require fasting, otherwise it will affect the examination results.
What time is a good time for an fasting examination? The duration of an empty stomach is not as long as possible. The standard for an empty stomach check-up is to be done early rather than late: 6:30 am to 8:30 am, and no later than 9:30 am. Blood is drawn after an empty stomach for more than 12 hours. Although fasting blood is still drawn, endocrine hormones can affect the accuracy of blood glucose and other indicators.
Can I drink water before fasting examination? Generally, fasting examinations require a water restriction of 6 to 8 hours, but "water restriction" means that one cannot drink a large amount of water. If you feel thirsty, you can drink less than 200ml of water, but you can only drink plain water and cannot drink drinks, tea, coffee, etc. to avoid affecting the test results.
Not all examinations require strict fasting
Which tests require an 'empty stomach'? During medical examinations, fasting is also divided into "strict fasting" and "small fasting".
Strictly fasting means not eating for 8 to 12 hours before the examination as mentioned above. Strict fasting examinations are required: blood sugar, blood lipids, renal function (mainly blood urea and uric acid), liver function (mainly bilirubin and transaminase), and blood viscosity.
Small fasting "refers to not eating high protein or high fat foods for breakfast, but only drinking low-fat foods such as porridge. This type of examination can be conducted 4 hours after breakfast. It can be checked on a "small empty stomach": coagulation function, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood routine, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, immunity, all test items such as hepatitis B III, hepatitis full set, various hormones, myocardial markers, thyroid function, tumor markers, autoantibodies, rheumatoid factors, etc.
