It’s almost universally accepted that eating breakfast is the key to a healthy diet. But what if breakfast makes you feel sick? That’s the strange case for so many of us, at least once in a while, when we eat breakfast. Many people find that eating breakfast triggers nausea, an uneasy feeling in the stomach, and sometimes even vomiting — commonly known as ‘post-prandial nausea’ or ‘post-prandial vomiting’. In this article, we explain why eating breakfast can make you feel sick and provide strategies to prevent it from happening again.
Why Does Eating Breakfast Make Me Sick?
1. You’re running on empty
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s also the most important meal to actually have. If you skip breakfast, you’re likely running on empty and have nothing to compensate for your body’s needs. Eating is a sign that your body is getting energy from something. And the most obvious place it’s getting that energy from is your glycogen. Glycogen is what fuels your muscles and brain, keeping you going through the day. When your body has no glycogen left in its system, your blood sugar levels will drop and your body will be completely empty. When you’re running on empty, you’ll feel tired, groggy, and hungry at the same time. You’ll also have no energy to do anything productive during the day, and risk burning out by the afternoon.
2. Your body’s begging you to eat something
As we mentioned above, when you’re running on empty, your body is literally begging for energy. This is why you feel so tired and hungry at the same time when your body is empty. It’s also why your body sweats more during this time, as it’s trying to cool you down and make you more comfortable. Your body also sweats during this time because it’s trying to rid itself of whatever food you have left in it. By sweating, your body is trying to rid itself of whatever you have in your stomach, so you can make room for new calories.
3. You’re probably eating the wrong things at breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it doesn’t mean all breakfasts are created equal. You could easily be ruining your day by eating the wrong things for breakfast. If you’re eating something high in sugar and fat, you’re setting yourself up for a crash later in the day. If you’re a big fan of cereal, you might want to rethink that habit. A lot of cereals are packed with sugar, which will make you crash and crave more sugar later in the day. Try eating something that’s high in protein and fiber, instead.
4. Your brain doesn’t get the fuel it needs
Your brain is a very important organ that requires lots of fuel to function properly. Unfortunately, a lot of people who skip breakfast and eat lunch instead don’t get the fuel they need to keep their brains running. Eating a healthy, balanced breakfast that contains essential vitamins and nutrients will help keep your brain running at full capacity. If you skip breakfast and eat a large lunch, your brain won’t have the fuel it needs to keep you alert and focused throughout the day.
5. You’re late to the game when you eat lunch
Many people think that eating lunch instead of breakfast is better for their bodies and brains. But, in reality, your body needs to start digesting food as soon as you put it in your mouth. Basically, your body needs 10 to 12 hours between each meal, so it can digest the food and get all the nutrients it needs. If you eat breakfast at 8 and lunch at 12, you only have 4 hours to get the nutrients from your breakfast into your bloodstream before you have lunch.
How To Prevent Post-Prandial Nausea From Returning?
- Eat smaller meals throughout the day.
- Eat breakfast in two or three small meals spread throughout the day.
- Drink plenty of water and avoid drinking too much coffee, tea, and alcohol during the day. They can make you feel sick too!
- Eat an apple or green leafy vegetable for your first meal of the day. It will help get the digestive process going.
- Don’t go to bed too full!
How To Stop Eating Breakfast From Making You Feel Sick?
1. Change up your breakfasts
If you’ve been eating the same thing every morning for as long as you can remember, there’s a chance you’ve settled into a routine that your body no longer needs. If you have been eating breakfast for a long time and you’ve recently stopped, your body may be trying to tell you that it doesn’t need the energy from food anymore. One way to change up your breakfasts is to mix up the type of cereal you typically eat. If you’ve been eating the same oatmeal every morning for years, try a different brand or flavor to mix things up.
2. Exercise first thing in the morning
If you’re the type of person who finds eating breakfast to be a challenge, you might want to try incorporating exercise into your morning routine. This could be as simple as taking a walk, or you could choose a more rigorous activity such as running or weightlifting. Exercise not only gets your blood flowing and your metabolism firing, but it also releases endorphins in your body which can help to calm you down and reduce stress. Exercise can be an excellent way to get your whole system up and running for the day, and can help to curb appetite and cravings throughout the day. If you struggle with overeating at breakfast, choosing an activity that helps to calm you down may be a helpful way to get those cravings under control.
3. Take the time to eat a healthy breakfast
If you love to eat cereal at the break of dawn but it makes you feel sick, there’s a chance that the cereal you’re choosing is to blame. Some types of cereal are filled with artificial sugars and preservatives that may make you feel ill. The best way to avoid eating something that makes you feel sick is by reading the ingredients and nutrition facts panel on the back of the box. Another culprit that could be making you feel sick at the thought of eating breakfast is the fact that you may be eating too quickly. Eating too fast can cause unnecessary stress on the body, which when coupled with the anxiety that eating breakfast may be causing can make you feel sick.
4. Find ways to relieve stress that make you feel sick
If your eating aversion at breakfast is triggered by stress, there are a number of ways you can reduce these feelings and eat breakfast comfortably. Stress can be caused by a wide variety of factors including work, family, financial issues, health, etc. The first step towards calming these feelings is to become aware of what is causing them. Once you’ve identified the stressors in your life, try to find healthy ways to relieve them. Breathing is one of the most basic and important things we do, yet we don’t tend to give it much thought. Most of us take around 15-20 breaths a minute, with each breathtaking about 4 seconds.
5. Find what makes you feel better and continue to reinforce it
Finally, when it comes to eating breakfast, you may want to try to find what makes you feel better and continue to reinforce it. While you may not be able to change how your body reacts to certain foods or the fact that eating breakfast makes you feel sick, you can change how you respond to these situations. If eating breakfast makes you feel sick, try to change how you respond to this feeling. In many cases, eating breakfast can make us feel better throughout the day, as it gives us energy, so if you want to eat, even if it makes you feel sick, try to change how you respond to this feeling.
Tips To Stop Feeling Sick When You Eat Breakfast
- Eat breakfast in 2 or 3 smaller meals.
- Eat breakfast later. If you usually eat breakfast at 7, try 8:30 or 10.
- Eat a lighter breakfast. Instead of a big bowl of cereal or a big plate of eggs and bacon, try a bowl of yogurt or a couple of slices of toast.
- Mix up your breakfast. If you’ve tried all these strategies and you’re still feeling sick, consider trying something new. You’re out of ideas, so give it a try!
Bottom Line
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but only if you actually eat it. Your body needs the energy to keep going, and you need to fuel your metabolism and brain to be productive and focused. Eating breakfast will give your body the nutrients it needs to function properly, and a balanced meal is the best way to get all the vitamins and protein you need. Eating breakfast will give your body the nutrients it needs to function properly, and a balanced meal is the best way to get all the vitamins and protein you need.
