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Mouth ulcers may be painful, but they are the mildest ailment that can result from irregular eating," says Dr Ajay Choksi, consultant gastroenterologist at Nanavati Hospital. Here's what irregular eating can do to your health, and how to correct it:
Acidity and heart burn
Your body has a natural clock, and if you don't eat at a fixed time every day, it will get confused about when to secrete enzymes for digestion. This causes erratic secretion of acids, which leads to heartburn and acidity. This is why you often experience a bloated feeling while travelling. Eat small snacks throughout the day when travelling, rather than three large meals.
Fake weight loss
Our body hoards fat as an automatic defence mechanism against starvation, and to conserve energy. Your body, therefore, reads a skipped meal or a crash diet as starvation, and reacts by slowing down the metabolism. So, when you skip meals, the weight loss you experience is simply a result of water being flushed out of the system, not loss of fat. Besides, you will regain this wait in no time.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Professionals who have stresfull jobs almost always feel the brunt on their system, which may show up as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is characterised by abdominal pain or cramping and changes in bowel function — bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhoea. An easy solution is to keep a jar of biscuits on your office desk (crackers are better than sweet cream varieties), that you can munch on every now and then.
Taxes your organs
Binge eating, which refers to sudden spurts of compulsive overeating, can damage your health. The sudden load on the stomach causes heartburn and the increased load on the liver can lead to liver damage. Binge eating has been associated with high blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels, heart disease, diabetes and gall bladder diseases.
What makes your meals irregular?
Diet: People often skip meals to lose weight, but this can prove harmful to your system. To lose weight, it is wiser to have four or five small meals throughout the day. So, have a small meal after every three hours.
Travel: New cuisine can intimidate some people. They then tend to cut down on eating, without a moment's thought about how it would affect their health. If you are in a strange country and are afraid to experiment with the cuisine, you can always get your hands on some vegetables and brown bread at a supermarket or bakery.
Sports: Athletes have to meet certain weight requirements in order to participate in physical activities such as gymnastics, swimming or bodybuilding. This may mean adopting a strict diet or loading up on proteins, both of which can be harmful.
Work: People tend to forget about their meals when their work load piles up. It would then make sense to snack at intervals through the working day.
Vitamin B can prevent mouth ulcers
The B complex reserve is low among vegetarians. So, if they fast or diet, the level diminishes further and causes mouth ulcers. However, mouth ulcers can affect non-vegetarians too, if their diet is not well-rounded. Vitamin B complex tablets can prevent mouth ulcers. A reduction in Vitamin B complex could cause soreness of the tongue and lips in its mildest form, and anaemia in severe cases.
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