David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

The Worst Thing You Can Do After Eating

1 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief health‑advice video, Dr. David Perlmutter explains that the single most harmful action after a meal is to sit down or, even worse, go to bed. He describes how post‑meal blood sugar spikes and insulin demand rise, and that remaining sedentary impairs insulin function, leading to poor blood‑sugar control and ultimately threatens brain health. As a simple countermeasure, he recommends a short 5‑ to 10‑minute walk around the neighborhood—not a full workout—to boost insulin efficiency, keep glucose levels stable, and support overall brain health.

Chapters

This is perhaps the one worst thing you can do after a meal. Hi, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. You know, our mission to keep the brain healthy is to keep our metabolism in check, keep our blood sugar in check, keep our insulin functioning, doing what it needs to do. And one of the biggest issues happens to be what do we do after we eat? You know, when you eat a meal, generally your blood sugar is going to go up, and the one worst thing that you could be doing after a meal is to sit down, Or even worse, I think, is go to bed. What you really need to do after you eat a meal is take a walk for 5 or 10 minutes. I'm not saying you need to go back to the gym and do a full-on workout, rather, but taking a walk just around the neighborhood for a few minutes after you eat will go a long way to improving your insulin functionality and keeping your blood sugar in check. And these are the key goals to maintain brain health.