The fast pace of modern life often leaves no time for activities such as eating. Many grab something quick for breakfast on their way out of the house or “devour” their lunch in order to gain a little more time and be productive at work, or spend more time in their personal lives.
Beyond the more philosophical reflections on the culture of rushing around food, it’s worth weighing the health implications of eating too quickly, which a Conversation article presents.
When one eats in a hurry one usually swallows excessive amounts of air, a phenomenon known as aerophagia. This can cause anything from mild discomfort and a feeling of heaviness and bloating to abdominal pain and distension (a visible increase in the size of the abdomen after eating).
The normal amount of gas in the digestive tract when the stomach is empty is about 200 ml. If this amount increases significantly, its normal elimination mechanisms can become very unpleasant. This amount of air depends on the balance between the intake, production and elimination of gases through belching and flatulence.
Also, when you eat in a hurry, you have less time to chew, which means that the food reaches the stomach almost entirely. Therefore, more stomach acid is needed to digest it properly. In addition to requiring greater metabolic effort, this also causes the unpleasant feeling of heaviness and indigestion that accompanies rushed meals.
Another consequence of not chewing food enough – and thus not letting the mouth’s enzymes do their job – is the absorption of food in the small intestine. Despite the stomach’s best efforts, unchewed food can reach the intestine without being adequately digested.
We don’t know when to stop
When it comes to the sensation of hunger and satiety, the gut-brain axis comes into play. The brain is responsible for sending the signals that govern the digestive processes, as well as making us eat or stop eating.
Two hormones regulate how full or hungry we feel – ghrelin triggers the feeling of hunger, while leptin makes us feel full. Once we see, smell and start eating food, it takes 20-30 minutes for leptin to be activated. This means that when we eat too quickly, we take in more food than we actually need as leptin does not have enough time to activate and tell us that we are full.
More serious consequences
Eating too quickly can have even more serious health implications. Several studies show a link between the speed at which we eat and cardiovascular risk factors, elevated triglyceride levels, and increased odds of developing metabolic syndrome (up to 59% higher), especially among diabetics.
So it’s definitely worth taking a little extra time to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner.
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