Learning to Eat
We learn to eat as toddlers, when all that matters is that we ate. As we grow up, the action of eating isn't exactly something we think about, the focus was more so on manners.
"Don't put your elbows on the dinner table"
"Don't chew with your mouth open"
"Don't leave the table until your plate is empty"
"Don't talk when your mouth is full"
These were the types of things that were focused on, and fair enough, we don't want to see what's inside your mouth or get a food shower at dinner.
As we get older, we have to start cooking our own meals, we get busier, we get stressed and eating can sometimes feel like an inconvenience.
As a result:
- We eat in front of the TV
- We eat in a rush so we can get back to work or back to the kids
- We eat when we are stressed, because really, when else would we eat, we are often stressed
- We chew just enough to get the food down
- We discuss finances or work issues over dinner
- We eat on the run, driving, on the way to work, while running errands, etc
We think the most important thing is what we eat, not how we eat it. Interestingly enough, WHAT we eat becomes even more important when we don't pay attention to HOW we eat. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.
Fight-or-Flight & Rest and Digest
Have you heard of fight-or-flight, and rest and digest? Well these are the two states our autonomic nervous systems can be in.
Fight or flight = Sympathetic Nervous System
Rest and Digest = Parasympathetic Nervous System
The sympathetic nervous system is triggered by things like stress, danger, upset.
As a result:
- Cortisol levels increase
- Adrenaline is released
- Our saliva production decreases or stops
- Our heart rate increases
- We start to sweat
- Blood flow is pulled away from the abdominal cavity and into the limbs, prepared for a physical response
- Stomach function stops
- Blood sugar levels rise in preparation for physical exertion
All of these things are so that when we are faced with a dangerous situation, we can either fight it, or run (flight). The issue here is that in North America, we seem to live very high stress lives. As a result, we are in fight-or-flight mode when we aren't actually in danger. Simply being called into the bosses office, being stuck in traffic, or rushing to pick up the kids on time can put us in this fight-or-flight state.
How does this affect our digestion?
In so many ways.
Look back at that list of how our body responds to stress, "our saliva production decreases or stops", "blood flow is pulled away from the abdominal cavity, "stomach function stops". This means that if we eat when our body is stressed, our body is doing the complete opposite of what it is supposed to do.
The interesting thing is, you don't always know when you are in the fight-or-flight state. Many people live in a degree of that state for weeks, months and sometimes years due to their high stress lifestyle and lack of awareness.
So what does this mean for your digestion?
The digestive system is like a jigsaw puzzle. In order for the digestive system to work, each system needs to contribute, and at the right time, otherwise you will have an incomplete puzzle, or in our case, incomplete digestion.
Eating when you are in your sympathetic state means:
1. You aren't producing enough saliva which is actually the beginning of the digestion process, specifically for the digestion of carbohydrates. Saliva contains amylase, which is the enzyme needed to break down starches/carbohydrates.
2. Your stomach isn't producing enough digestive juices or enzymes, which are essential in breaking down your food.
3. Blood flow to the abdominal cavity is sparse which means that our digestive organs and tissues are not properly oxygenated or nourished, and the nutrients from our food are not being properly distributed around the body.
Unfortunately, this can lead to a cascade of other issues if it is recurring, such as: an underactive stomach, pancreatic fatigue, allergies, bowel disease, inflammatory and immune issues, an overloaded liver, endocrine imbalances, the list goes on.
Let's relearn how to eat.
The key is that we want to trigger the rest & digest , parasympathetic response that does exactly that, it allows us to rest and digest our food properly. Developing proper eating habits can improve your digestive function, and even improve your relationship with food.
Before eating:
1. Choose the right place to eat. Find a calming location that is void of stress, distractions or stimulants that can bring you back into the fight-or-flight response. Eating in front of the TV can cause you to overeat, it can also stimulate your fight-or-flight response and impair digestion. The outdoors is a great option, as is a dining room table. Try to avoid snacking in the same location you eat your meals.
2. Take 4 deep, slow breaths once seating in front of your food and try and let go of any stress. This will help to push out that fight-or-flight state and bring in the rest & digest response that we want. Deep, diaphragmatic breathing actually tricks our body into the rest & digest response.
3. Pay attention to the presentation. Take an extra minute to make it look nice when you are plating it, and before you take a bite admire the colours and textures of it. If we like the appearance of our food, we will naturally produce more saliva and digestive juices.
4. Focus on the lovely aroma in your kitchen after cooking, and take a few seconds to smell your food. Just like with the appearance, if we like the smell of our food, we will naturally produce more saliva, and digestive juices.
While eating your meal:
5. Enjoy your food. Take the time to notice the different tastes and textures while you chew. Increasing your awareness of your food will increase digestion.
6. Chew A LOT! Take the time to chew your food properly. As I mentioned above, digestion starts in your mouth. This is a much needed stage of digestion so take the time to chew your food.
7. Set your fork and knife down between bites. We are notorious for eating too fast. We start taking our next bite before we have swallowed the one before. So a great way to slow down is by setting your utensils down between bites.
8. Enjoy your company. You are allowed to eat with friends and family, in fact it is encouraged. Take the time to have enjoyable discussions with the people at your dinner table, your food isn't going anywhere. My husband and I are notorious for being the last people eating. I see that as an accomplishment. If I finish before others I know I ate too quickly.
9. Reduce how much you drink during your meal. We want your digestive juices to be concentrated and abundant so that they are able to digest your food. If we drink during our meal, we dilute our digestive juices and impair digestion. Drink 30+ minutes before your meal, and 30+ minutes after your meal, but let's try and only take sips of our drinks during meals.
10. Start small, and go back for seconds. So many of us suffer from "big eyes, small stomach syndrome". Meaning that we dish out way too much food and then end up overeating, or eating too fast because we wanted to eat it while it was hot. Interestingly enough, the signal that comes from our stomach to tell us that we are full, takes 20 minutes to get to our brain. That means that we are full long before our brain knows we are full. So let's start with a small serving, and add more as we feel we need to. But let's not just rush back to the kitchen for more after you finish you last bite, wait a bit to see if you actually are still hungry.
11. Lastly! Try and give yourself some rest time after you finish your meal. That is one reason it is so great to have dinners with company at the dinner table, because after dinner you sit around and enjoy eachother's company. Digestion takes a long time. We are always in some stage of digestion. But right after a large meal, we want to take 45+ minutes to rest and digest. Many people feel the need to get up and go for a walk. That is because you ate too much. Slow your eating, improve your chewing and if you want to go for a walk, wait 45+ minutes. We want to remain in the rest and digest state long enough for most of the food to empty out of our stomachs.
Tip for parents and grandparents: Please try and avoid teaching your children that they must finish everything on their plate. It is fair to not give them dessert if they haven't finished their meal, but to force someone to eat more than they feel is comfortable is not something we want to be teaching at a young age. INSTEAD, introduce them to leftovers! Put what was left on their plate in a separate container and they can eat it the next day for a snack or as part of their meal.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, you will have an opportunity to ask questions this month during one of the two video chats. Otherwise, please feel free to comment on the chat board, the coinciding Instagram post or contact me directly via email or Instagram.