Eating food whilst on the go - Not Advised -

When asking clients about their food habits the words I'd often hear were ..Grabbing a Bite to Eat..

In fact, I must have heard it a hundred times.

On my many lunchtime afternoon walks I'd notice this among the dozens & dozens of people I would see devouring a sandwich or wrap on the way back to their offices.

My feeling towards this has remained the same years later & it hinges on my concern that people don't have time to eat & enjoy their food properly.

To many of my clients this is the norm, as well as eating at their desk whilst working.

Until recently this is something I didn't understand as I have never been one to stand whilst eating, never mind walk & when I do eat, my work stops.

However, my experience of working in kitchens didn't always allow for me to eat at what set time suited me so I understand that at times its about convenience.

The Evidence

The problem with consuming food in this way is the urge to eat it huriddly or to wolf it down.

Doing this habitually in my view is not advisable & for two reasons

Firstly, the autonomic nervous system (ANS), as it implies, works automatically in regulating the heart & other internal organs to do their jobs & to some degree, allow for the smooth running of the digestive system.

Within the ANS there are 2 other further divisions, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) & the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) (1).

The role of these divisions is essentially to oppose one another, so once triggered they cause very different outcomes within our body.

Most of us have sat a table, about to enjoy a nice meal when suddenly we've been informed of or have seen a stressful event & have immediately lost our appetite.

This hormone flight or fight triggered reaction alerts the body of a problem signalling food digestion as the least of your priorities.

Instead it fires the SNS to increases the heart rate & diversion of richly oxygenated blood to skeletal muscles readying them to move & react quickly if needed.

The PNS on the other hand decreases the heart rate to resting levels as there is now no need to send extra blood flow to skeletal muscles to run; instead it is directed to the area that helps our digestion (gastrointestinal tract) which involves the increasing of saliva secretion to begin the food breakdown & absorption.

The second involves the size of food particles.

Studies have suggested that the benefits of thorough chewing can suppress the hunger triggering hormone Ghrelin which can lead to a reduction in food intake & actually help in the maintenance of a healthier body weight (2) & althoughg it is by no means the only cause, swallowing insufficiently chewed food can result in post meal bloating & flatulence (3).

This is due to chewing properly & completely.

Increasing the interaction of saliva with food allows for formation of mass (bolus) that is essential prior to swallowing & is also the first phase of fat & starch (carbohydrate) breakdown (4).

The smoother this process is the more effortlessly the food now leaves the stomach & enters the small intestine (5).

If food particles are too large upon entry into the stomach then the processes acting to break them down into the smaller digestible particles needed for absorption is compromised.

This unfortunately can lead to a burning sensation & irritation resulting in the stomach's contents travelling back in the wrong direction from the stomach into the esophagus, a condition known as esophageal reflux, or heartburn (6).

Eating is actually a stress on the body which requires work & the joint effort of numerous biochemical, hormonal & physical interactions that all have to work in unison.

If you are caught short with time & there is only a small window available to eat then have something light, easily digestible & drink water.

If typically & grab & wolf down person then where possible try removing any distractions, rid your mind of any stresses & take the required time to chew your food well & eat slowly.

You've created the PNS which is the ideal physical & emotional state that best aids food assimilation & you may experience a reduction in abdominal discomfort & belching as a consequence.

References

1. Wehrwein. E, et al., (2016). Overview of the Anatomy, Physiology & Pharmacology of the Autonomic Nervous System. Comprehensive Physiology. 6: 1239-1278, 2016.

2. Miquel-Kergoat. S, et a., (2015). Effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta analysis. Physiology & Behaviour 151 (2015). 88-96.

3. Rayisanker. P et al., (2016). A Detailed Analysis on Acidity & Ulcers in Esophagus Gastric & Duodenal Ulcers & Management. Journal of Dental & Medical Sciences. Volume 15 Issue 1.

4. Perdersen. A. M, et al., (2002). Saliva and gastrointestinal functions of taste, mastication, swallowing and digestion. Oral Diseases (2002) 8 117-129.

5. Pera. P, et al., (2002). Influence of Mastication on Gastric Emptying. Journal of dental Research 81 (3): 179-181, 2002.

6. Bardhan, K, D et al., (2012). Reflux revisited: Advancing the role of Pepsin. International Journal of Otolaryngology Volume 2012