Filling the Belly?
Eating is an integral part of our human health. We all know the proverb, ‘You are what you eat.’
There are so many aspects to diet and nutrition: Food source, food choice, routine, hydration, and much more.
This short blog post deals with amount.
According to the yogi, when we complete a meal, the stomach should be:
(1) 1/2 full of food;
(2) 1/4 full of liquid;
(3) 1/4 empty, i.e. air.
Obviously step 3 is the hardest one!
But think what happens when you overfill your washing machine. Then it can hardly turn and swoosh the clothes around. There is no space for the machine to work.
Same is the case with our beloved belly! It needs space. So point #3 is quite important. When you get the hang of it – let me know. Because I am in a chronic state of non-compliance!
The other thing is to try and hydrate before your meal, and when eating, then only eat, don’t drink. Drinking fluids when eating dilutes – or even washes away – the digestive enzymes in the saliva.
Like everything else, our style of eating should be done in a systematic way. Then we can better enjoy those savory treats!
Ah, you picked the hardest aspect of eating (for me)with this post. I eat very healthy food, including much of what I grow, plus fresh eggs from my own hens. But leaving empty space is hard! One reason is eating too fast. Measuring portions seems so un-fun, but I wonder if it might not be a way to begin being more conscious of quantity.
Hi Cheryl,
Indeed, leaving empty space is hard – and you touched on the key factor. Eating fast gives one zero time to realize if they feel full or not. Eating fast is almost a guarantee for over eating. I would certainly be categorized as a fast eater.
Ways to overcome fast eating are: Put down the utensil in between bites, chew food at least 12 times before swallowing, eat a soupy dish at the beginning of the meal (then the stomach will fill quickly on an easily digestible substance), and there are no doubt other ways as well.
Finally, eating, like everything else, is habitual. Once one gets accustomed to eating smaller portions, then those small portions will satisfy us. We will then feel ‘full’ by eating those amounts where indeed 1/4 of the stomach is empty. That will be our satiation point.
It is when we get habituated to over-eating and the stomach gets stretched that leads to chronic over-eating.
So there are ways to get on the proper track. Taking it one meal at a time – or one bite at a time – can get us there.
Thanks for sharing on this topic!
All good suggestions. I will chew on them and take action!
Thanks for the review!
thanks for timely (well, I guess this is always timely) inspiration.