As a kid, my mom warned me about things like sitting too close to the TV, going outside with a wet head, and not letting my food digest before swimming. She even convinced me that eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda at the same time would cause my stomach to explode. While I can attest to the fact that Pop Rocks and soda do not, in fact, cause any bodily damage (other than a fun party-in-your-mouth effect), what about those other kernels of motherly advice? Is there any truth to them or were they all just scare tactics?
If you don’t wait an hour after eating before you go into the water, you’ll get stomach cramps and drown.
False. The idea behind this is that when your blood rushes to your stomach to help you digest food, you wouldn’t have enough circulation to keep your arms and legs working properly. The tale likely gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, when kids enjoyed local pools and lakes with far less lifeguard supervision than we have now. As a result, parents conjured up a way to keep kids at bay after lunchtime while they got some rest in. But according to HowStuffWorks, we have plenty of blood to keep all of our other parts running just fine after a meal. Some competitive swimmers even eat something immediately before a big meet to give them the energy they need to perform well. Also, during exercise, our bodies produce adrenaline that actually helps deliver oxygen to the muscles that need it most.
original article by Danielle Samaniego
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