Too much of anything is certainly bad for you. Eat more food than necessary and you may put your body in some form of peril. Some of the dangers of overeating may appear right after having an enormous serving of food, while others may manifest themselves after several months or a few years.
Below are some of the unfavorable things that may happen if you habitually consume way more food than you need:
Indigestion
One of the clear indicators that you just overate is indigestion — and it happens in an instant, too! Stuff your stomach with more food than it can accommodate and it will surely leave you with much discomfort. Most people who overeat fail to chew their food very well, and it only makes the experience even worse.
Excessive Gas
If you are belching or passing wind a lot, you may be eating more food than normal. Devouring lots of food and at a fast rate causes you to swallow a lot of air, and it will eventually escape your stomach via the mouth in an embarrassing way. You may also end up with a distended tummy, a sign of flatulence due to all the trapped gas.
Bad Breath
Your tongue may end up with whitish gunk if you habitually eat more food than necessary. There are times when a coated tongue is not just a sign of poor oral hygiene, but also an indicator that you are pumping more food down your esophagus than necessary. Certainly, it’s something that can give you bad breath.
Lethargy
Do you notice that you feel tired and sleepy after having a large meal? It’s because much of your blood is diverted to your GI tract, leaving the rest of your organs such as the brain with little blood. Such results in lethargy, something that can keep you from being unproductive and may even put you as well as others in danger.
Skin Problems
Especially if you love junk food, overeating causes your body to be flooded with toxins and other impurities. This is not good for your skin, which is actually an organ of elimination. With all those poisonous substances escaping your skin, it’s not unlikely for you to suffer from breakouts and a host of other skin issues.
Increased Blood Glucose
Consuming lots of foods packed with carbohydrates and sugar can cause an increase in your blood glucose levels, which can put you at risk of type 2 diabetes if it happens all the time. Also, this can leave you feeling weary and hungry after a while, which will only cause you to eat more food!
Organ Damage
Since you are stuffing your body with more food than required, some of your organs have to work a lot harder. For instance, your liver will have to release more digestive enzymes to emulsify fat. Your pancreas also has to produce more insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. Eventually, overtaxed organs may end up damaged.
Obesity
Unless you can burn all of the calories you are consuming, it’s very much likely for you to gain excess pounds if you habitually eat more food than what your body requires. Most especially if you are not getting enough physical activity, overeating can leave you obese in no time.
Various Diseases
Obesity, as a result of overeating, increases your chances of having all sorts of diseases. It can cause your cholesterol levels and blood pressure to spike, and may put you at risk of heart disease. Being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes. Your joints may also become achy and inflamed due to all the excess weight they need to support.
Depression
Your mind is also something that is negatively affected by overeating. Once you have packed a lot of pounds, you may end up feeling depressed. Resorting to food may also give you a feeling of emptiness within, which you may attempt to fill up with more and more food but realize that it’s not possible.
