Four things you should ‘never’ consume on an empty stomach

Honey in lemon water: Honey mixed in lemon water is a common drink that many people consume in the morning as they believe it helps to burn fat. However, Sahaya advised against doing so. “Honey has more calories and is higher in glycemic index than sugar. Pure honey without any additives is difficult to find and most consume sugar and rice syrup in the name of honey. It raises your blood sugar levels as a result of more food cravings throughout the day,” she said.

But, functional nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and Founder, iThrive disagreed and said this is completely false. “Raw, well-sourced honey is one of the healthiest natural sweeteners and a great source of healthy carbohydrates that is rich in nutrients and other immune system-boosting compounds,” she explained, adding that honey has actually been shown to improve metabolic health in several studies.

Tea and coffee: Sahaya further shared that consuming tea or coffee on an empty stomach triggers stomach acids, which could upset your tummy and create digestive issues.

Agreeing, Pradhan said, “Tea, coffee, and other forms of caffeine on an empty stomach early in the morning are definitely not recommended as your cortisol (stress hormone) levels are already high when you wake up in the morning and caffeine can elevate it further and cause excess stress.” She suggested waiting for at least an hour or two after waking up before getting your caffeine fix and advised having it with some food.

Fruits: According to Sahaya, fruits digest very quickly as compared to other food items. “This will make us hungry within an hour. Certain citrus fruits eaten on an empty stomach can also lead to acidity,” she said.

Consuming honey and lemon water in the morning is not healthy, Sahaya said. (Source: Freepik)

Sweet breakfast: Finally, the expert advised consuming a savoury breakfast over a sweet breakfast to maintain the blood sugar levels. “It’s perfect for those who wish to keep tabs on their fitness. A morning meal based on proteins and fat helps reduce appetite throughout the day and you won’t be starving at lunchtime. Sweet breakfast will raise your blood sugar levels and crash it even quickly keeping you more hungry, especially craving for carbs and low on energy,” she said.

Further, she advised starting your day with fat (nuts, avocado, ghee, seeds, etc) followed by a protein-rich breakfast. “This maintains your blood sugar levels and reduces food cravings throughout the day.”

To this, Pradhan said that while it is true that a protein and fat-heavy meal in the morning helps stabilise blood sugar, whether or not you should worry about actively stabilising your blood sugar this way is highly bio-individual. “Individuals who are non-diabetic, metabolically healthy, and have no insulin resistance can definitely enjoy some healthy carbs like honey and fruits for breakfast if they wish to. Personal preferences should be taken into account too — we should try to enjoy our food and listen to our bodies. Some people with cortisol and stress issues may actually benefit from some healthy carbs that help relieve stress in the morning.”

At the same time, the nutritionist highlighted that excessive sugar and carbohydrate consumption is not a good idea even if you are currently metabolically healthy as it could deteriorate your health in the long term. “You want to always have adequate protein and fat in your diet which keeps you satiated and regulates your blood sugar. Often, you harbour a sugar addiction or resort to ’emotional eating’ which makes you crave sugar constantly, so listening to your body with no regard to what your health markers are showing is not a good idea either,” she said.

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