Showering after eating is bad; myth?

Digestion requires energy - it's why you shouldn't go swimming after eating - a cramp or feint in the water can kill. But standing in the shower is harmless.

I think the biggest problem with swimming after eating is discomfort because of the physical exertion you are producing. But kill? No way. Maybe if you don't know how to swim but why would you be that far out into deep water if you can't swim?
 
In Brazil we joke about Portuguese mothers that give their kids hot water to drink before sleep to keep them warm during the night, and all other kinds of nonsense. Apparently there's some truth to the jokes :eek:
 
I've never heard of "don't shower after you've eaten".

I have heard of "don't swim after you've eaten" and that was debunked as nothing more than an old wive's tale.

Sounds to me like that Korean superstition that you'll die if you sleep with a turned on fan in your bedroom.
 
Well you can get a cramp if you swim after eating, since i got one after going in a pool straight after eating some dinner, but other than that there was no problem. I have showered many times after eating since normally the water is warm rather than cold as in pool, which most probably was the cause of the cramp due to the need to warm up my body while doing other things.
 
Well you can get a cramp if you swim after eating, since i got one after going in a pool straight after eating some dinner, but other than that there was no problem. I have showered many times after eating since normally the water is warm rather than cold as in pool, which most probably was the cause of the cramp due to the need to warm up my body while doing other things.

About cramps
 
So my mom told me dinner was about to be served and that I should go take my shower (like she always does). Since it's Spring break time, I told her "no, tonight I'm going to shower right before I go to bed" and she called me crazy and said it is harmful because of... reasons. Basicly, that's her source of reasoning: old wives' tales.

Digestion requires energy - it's why you shouldn't go swimming after eating - a cramp or feint in the water can kill. But standing in the shower is harmless.

Those two claims are the silliest things I've heard in quite some time. And on this very forum, no less.

When I was a kid, I used to swim right after a meal a lot. And I also took showers after meals, and saw no ill effects. But then again, these things work like all superstitions: they only "work" if you believe in them.
 
I could do it if I wanted but my mom has high blood pressure so it's hard to pull one of these "irreverent attitudes" off without her getting too worried.

I guess it'll have to be a shock "getting in water after eating" instead of preparing by telling her that I am going to do it after dinner.

In Brazil we joke about Portuguese mothers that give their kids hot water to drink before sleep to keep them warm during the night, and all other kinds of nonsense. Apparently there's some truth to the jokes :eek:

Our jokes about the Brazillian aren't nearly as nice.
 
@pesgores is this really something that has a strong cultural "following" in Portugal? Meaning that a lot of people think it's true, much like the fan death thing in Korea?

Yes it is. If not the showering part, the swimming definitely. And what's worse, here it is "thought" that the minimum wait after finishing eating is 3 hours and in case of heavy foods, 4 hours.

It's a torture for Portuguese kids at the beach.
 
@pesgores is this really something that has a strong cultural "following" in Portugal? Meaning that a lot of people think it's true, much like the fan death thing in Korea?

I can immediately think of three weird, false, but widely spread beliefs: "don't get into the water after eating"; "don't eat watermelon with wine"; don't eat oranges before bedtime". I don't know how widely spread, but I once got into a serious argument with several people, during a lunch, over the watermelon+wine one. So serious that I even think they were disappointing when I failed to drop dead after doing it. :lol:

Some of these, it seems, can also be found in Brazil.
 
In Brazil the most popular ones are: don't mix mangoes with milk, and don't eat hot cake. But nowadays they're more restricted to the countryside. My grandma (who is Italian born but raised in Brazil) actually believes in that hot cake nonsense.
 
There are no ill effects from showering before, after, or even during dinner, although in the last case, your food will be quite soggy.
 
In Brazil the most popular ones are: don't mix mangoes with milk, and don't eat hot cake. But nowadays they're more restricted to the countryside. My grandma (who is Italian born but raised in Brazil) actually believes in that hot cake nonsense.

We have a "don't eat hot bread after it's been baked, wait until it cools" thing in Poland; I have no idea if there's any truth to that or if that's another silly thing that everyone believes that is false.
 
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