When you're at work and it's time for your lunch break, you don't always have enough time to sit down and have a he althy lunch. Most often you reach for fast food, eat on the go while reading emails and answering phone calls.
All of this together causes indigestion and a number of symptoms of discomfort – most often bloating, gas, sometimes abdominal pain.
There are some foods that are not suitable for lunch because they can cause exactly the kind of symptoms that will hinder your activities for the rest of the workday. Who are they?
Salads with cruciferous vegetables
White cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower are all preferred vegetables in salads and as side dishes, because they are low in calories and full of useful substances. However, they contain a complex carbohydrate called raffinose. This carbohydrate ferments in the intestines and causes digestive problems, such as bloating and gas, which are profuse and quite unpleasant. If you eat such vegetables at lunch, you risk feeling sick for the rest of the day, which can interfere with your work.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches can be very tasty and convenient when you don't have time for a long lunch break, but they can cause bloating and gas. Digestion of the bread in the sandwiches causes a sharp spike in insulin and blood sugar, and therefore a sharp drop in their levels. This can make you not only feel bloated, but also make you feel sleepy and unable to complete your professional commitments.
Fatty and fried foods
Foods high in saturated fat are not suitable for lunch or dinner. They cause real chaos in the digestive tract. Large amounts of digestive enzymes and acids are released, which aggressively attack the food in the stomach and intestines, and the whole process can lead to serious discomfort.
Beans and Lentils
Legumes are beneficial in that they contain slow-digesting carbohydrates that maintain normal blood sugar and insulin levels. On the other hand, however, they are rich in a very large amount of fiber, which makes digestion difficult. Usually, after eating legumes, a lot of gas appears, which is very painful during the day when you are at work and have to suppress it.
Yogurt
Yogurt is not particularly suitable for lunch, because the lactose in it, which is a type of carbohydrate, can cause cramps, pain, swelling after consumption. The symptoms are most aggressive in people with lactose intolerance.
Diet sodas
Fizzy drinks are harmful, but diet drinks are no less harmful. They contain artificial additives, sweeteners and colors that cause gas and bloating, and interfere with the normal digestion of your lunch.
