She Was Right All Along
by Willie Victor
Your mother may have scolded you for eating too fast, too little, or too much. Most mothers pass along “dinner rules” that they learned from their mothers, who learned it from their mothers, and so on. Whether or not they knew it, these adages are rooted in the science of digestion and make a real difference to our health.
Below are five of the most common, and important, of these rules.
1. Don’t skip a meal.
When we start the day with good protein, we get balanced blood sugar and less carbohydrate cravings. If instead we eat carbohydrates, such as a slice of toast or a bowl of cereal, we’ll digest that food within two hours and then the cravings start and the blood sugar roller coaster begins. A good protein breakfast should be followed four hours later with a substantial lunch. If it is not possible to have a full meal, eat some protein or fat to keep blood sugar stable. An apple with nut butter, hummus and veggies, nuts, or avocado slices are a few examples of great satisfying snacks. Have a good snack about 4pm, especially if you are not eating dinner until after 6pm. Controlling our blood sugar prevents fatigue and the craving of high calorie carbohydrates like chips and cookies.
2. Don’t eat late at night.
It’s best if we eat dinner at least three hours before going to bed. This assures our meal has been digested before we fall asleep. Any less than three hours and we set ourselves up for a restless night. Our digestive systems shut down when we’re asleep. Going to sleep with a partially digested meal in our stomachs causes us to awaken the next morning feeling heavy and uncomfortable.
3. Say grace.
Giving thanks or a similar ritual, such as taking a breath, allows our bodies to prepare to start digesting. The nervous system is divided into two systems: the parasympathetic, which takes over when we’re relaxed, and the sympathetic, which takes over when we’re focused. When the sympathetic nervous system is in charge, our bodies stop producing hydrochloric acid and the enzymes needed to digest food. Therefore, if we eat while we’re working, surfing the Internet, watching television or reading, the sympathetic, not parasympathetic, system is operating and our food is not being digested. That’s why it’s important to take time at the beginning of a meal to pause, relax, and put our attention on our food. Digestion starts when we do this – enzymes begin to accumulate in the saliva in our mouths. Eating, engaging with our dinner companions, and being in the present moment assures that we’re fully digesting our meal.
4. Chew your food.
Much of the digestion we do occurs in the mouth. The more one chews the more nutrients are extracted. Chewing also releases flavors. Try slowly chewing a raisin and not swallowing until it is completely dissolved, and I bet you’ll notice many flavors you would not have if you’d only chew it a few times. Adequate chewing also prevents gas and belching. I recommend about 15 to 20 chews or until the food feels different. Broccoli, for example, is prickly at first and as it’s chewed it gets softer, which is when it is ready to swallow.
5. Don’t stuff yourself.
We can only digest a certain amount of food. The pancreas and stomach produce only enough enzymes and acids for the digestion of a normal meal, which is equivalent to the size of a fist (this is the same size as our stomachs). Overeating results in undigested food in the gut that bacteria then consume and create gas, or results in undigested food in the stool, which is a waste of energy. Overeating also creates excess fat. Between 2:00-4:00am, our livers cleanse our bodies of the toxins we’ve accumulated during the day. If we eat a heavy meal our livers have to filter not only those toxins, but the chemicals in that meal. This puts it in overdrive and gives us a restless night.
If you are a mother, you can now tell your children the reasons you insist on these rules - they do our bodies a world of good.
