As I had mentioned in previous articles, many people have unhealthy eating patterns, often based on one’s lifestyle, or chronic bad habits. In the first of the series of articles, we learned that the healthiest eating pattern is to have at least five hours in between meals. In our second article, we learned that we should avoid eating late at night as this can lead to poor sleep, and ultimately chronic illnesses due to eating patterns that are not consistent with our body’s circadian rhythm. This month we will look at several common but unhealthy eating patterns and learn about their impact on our health.
Grazing
A new fad that has gained in popularity is the theory that eating multiple times in a day helps to keep one’s metabolism at a higher level in order to maintain or lose weight. Frequent meals would also prevent feelings of hunger, which can contribute to consuming too many calories at any one time. In fact, this eating pattern appears to be the new norm, with the majority of North Americans snacking two or more times a day in addition to meals. Many people will have a late evening snack while watching television, or will get up from sleep to raid the fridge for a “midnight” snack. But, how does this grazing pattern affect our digestive system? We have already established that it is unhealthy to eat in between meals, so the pattern of grazing must be unhealthy. But, how?
Each time you eat, your body produces insulin to take the glucose from your blood into your cells to be used as energy. However, insulin also works to store excess glucose in your fat cells. Eating frequently will cause insulin to place any extra glucose into fat tissue. We will learn more about this later in the article. Also, each time food is taken in, it takes energy to process glucose and produce insulin; thus, people can feel fatigued when eating too many meals in a day. When you ingest frequent meals, it provides an opportunity to overeat, to consume too many calories in a given day, thus storing extra glucose as fat. Most people do not have the ability to calculate calories efficiently, to know when enough calories have been consumed, especially when introducing multiple opportunities in a day to eat. And, as we learned last month, eating often does not allow digestion to finish before having to restart the process all over again
When we eat, the food enters our digestive system, through the esophagus, it then travels to the stomach, through the small intestine, and finally to the large intestine. The food moves through the digestive system by a series of contractions called “peristalsis.” These contractions assist the stomach to break down the food, they then push the food out of the stomach into the small intestine. The food travels through the small intestine, where its absorbed into the body. After digestion, a series of contractions called the Migratory Motor Complex (MMC) “cleans” the small intestine by pushing waste, bacteria and undigested food particles into the large intestine. It takes about 90–120 minutes to move these components from the stomach to the end of the small intestine. The large intestine then eliminates these leftovers of our food that our body did not digest. A normal functioning MMC plays a significant role in our overall gut health. It ensures that the bacteria in our gut moves to, or remains in, the large intestine where it belongs.
Only a period of fasting (not eating) allows the MMC to function properly, to move the food along in cleansing waves; thus, preventing food from sitting immobile in the small intestine for any length of time. With the action of the MMC, even bacteria that may have been in our food moves along also, and, does not have time to settle into the small intestine; it passes through it instead to the large intestine. In order for the small intestine to move bacteria along, it must have a rest period of at least 90 minutes. With grazing, every time you eat, the process of MMC stops and needs to reset. The cleansing wave has to start all over again from the stomach. Because of this need to reset itself each time we eat, we may never experience a full wave of cleansing. If we even have a small nibble of food in between meals, there is a good chance we will not have a period of 90 minutes without food passing through the small intestine, and thus waste products remain in the small intestine for longer than it should. What is the result of this?
Our digestive system contains a significant amount of healthy bacteria, not only which contributes to our digestive health, but also affects other areas of health including our immune system. In a healthy gut, most of the bacteria colonizes in the large intestine. Grazing can increase the risk of abnormal amounts of bacteria in the small intestine, typically bacteria that is not normally found in this area of the body. This syndrome is known as SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). SIBO occurs when something slows down the passage of food; it stays in the small intestine for too long, allowing bacteria to feed on the food and waste, and multiplying, thus creating a breeding ground for bacteria.
When undigested food and waste is not swept through the large intestine properly or fast enough, this can also cause the bacteria present in the large intestine, to migrate back to the small intestine. Therefore, bacteria that is normally found in the large intestine then stays in or migrates back to the small intestine. These bacteria need to be fed, and they compete with the nutrition that our body needs, disrupting the digestive process, and leading to malnutrition. When this occurs, symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, nausea, constipation, and acid reflux then result in the digestive system. Symptoms of malnutrition such as fatigue, low energy, brain fog, hair loss and dry skin are also present. Once this overgrowth develops, it can only be eradicated by taking antibiotics. However, antibiotics are also harmful and can upset the balance of our gut flora (microbiome) for up to a year.
Not only is the small intestine impacted by grazing, but the function of the large intestine is also affected. You may notice that you have a bowel movement within an hour of a large meal. This is not a coincidence. A large sized or high calorie meal involuntarily triggers something called the gastrocolic reflex, which causes forward movement (peristalsis) of waste in the large intestine (colon). In order for this reflex to take place, the stomach must be distended and stretched. The stomach has receptors that detect stretch. This stretch, after a large volume intake, sends a signal to the large intestine to empty itself, to make room for the food that is entering the stomach. Eating small amounts throughout the day may not be enough to stretch the stomach enough to trigger this reflex. Thus, it is possible that people who graze will have problems with constipation, as the waste will not move through the colon as efficiently. People who are prone to constipation benefit from eating larger, discrete meals throughout the day to have more regular bowel movements.
Grazing can also result in eating too close to bedtime because grazers like to snack in the evening. The MMC function works while you sleep to allow your gut to go through more cleaning, therefore, eating at night will prevent the MMC from doing its overnight work. Among the other health problems discussed last month when eating too close to bedtime, you can also develop
acid reflux (heartburn), from lying down too soon after eating. Acid reflux occurs when the stomach sphincter relaxes, and gastric acids can enter the esophagus from the stomach. The recommendation is to stop eating three hours before bedtime to allow your stomach to fully empty before lying down. If you get hungry, drink liquid as that leaves your stomach much faster.
Eating causes a state of inflammation in our body; our immune system is very active at the time of eating, deciding what our body should absorb from our food. This immune response causes a temporary state of inflammation in our body. Inflammation occurs for up to four hours after a meal. This level of inflammation is normal. However, if we are constantly grazing, our body is in a constant state of inflammation, which then becomes unhealthy. Chronic inflammation damages our body, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Effect of grazing on weight loss
Many people who try to lose weight get very frustrated at the lack of results. Our body only exists in two states: the fed state and the fasted state. In the fed state, after we have eaten, insulin is released, and we use the calories from our food to supply the energy that the body needs. However, our bodies need a constant fuel source so that basic metabolism can continue to take place, even when not eating. Our heart needs to pump, our lungs need to take in air, our brain, our immune system must still continue to function. Therefore, when we eat, any calories in the form of carbohydrates and protein that are not needed after we eat are stored in our liver and in our fat cells for later use. When we are in a fasted state, we do not produce insulin; therefore, our body takes food that has been stored as glycogen from our liver and our fat to supply the body’s metabolic needs. This is known as the fat-burning state. Going into a fat-burning state by fasting is part of our body’s natural cycle, helping to maintain the balance between the fed and the fasted states.
What is important to understand is that our body cannot take energy from both places at the same time. It either takes energy directly from food or from food sources stored in our body. When we eat, it makes sense to use food for energy; thus, fat burning is shut down. The insulin that is produced to use food as energy shuts down the body’s ability to burn fat. However, during fasting, our insulin levels drop, signalling the body to release food energy from our liver and fat cells. If we try to lose weight only by decreasing calories, we would assume that automatically the weight will drop off. This does not always happen.
Diet experts recommend that people who want to lose weight should eat frequent, small meals throughout the day, with the idea that constantly eating keeps our metabolic rate higher while consuming less calories overall. What this also does is triggers our body to keep producing insulin to use the calories from the food. Since insulin levels stay high, we never get into a fat-burning state. If we reduce our calories without allowing our body to use our stored food sources, our body’s metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lower calorie intake because it only gets its energy from food. We start to feel tired, hungry, and cold from the reduced calorie intake, but we do not lose weight. The only way to successfully lose weight, as well as reducing calories, is to reduce insulin levels, so that our body burns fat for fuel instead, and the only way to do this is to put our body into a fasted state. For example, if we were to fast for 24 hours, that day’s energy needs would be supplied by our stored food energy and we would lose ½ pound of fat. For those who do not have periods of fasting, most of the fat burning occurs during nighttime hours when we are not eating. Reducing the amount of time between meals, and eating late at night will prevent our body from burning fat for fuel, thus preventing weight loss.
Skipping breakfast
Many of us skip breakfast because we cram so much into our day, that taking the time for eating breakfast is no longer considered important. And if we have eaten late in the evening, we are not going to be hungry yet when we get out of bed. Are there any health benefits for eating a breakfast meal? Or any negative health effects from skipping breakfast?
“It is the custom and order of society to take a slight breakfast. But this is not the best way to treat the stomach. At breakfast time the stomach is in a better condition to take care of more food than at the second or third meal of the day. The habit of eating a sparing breakfast and a large dinner is wrong. Make your breakfast correspond more nearly to the heartiest meal of the day.” –Child Guidance, p. 390
Often breakfast has been referred to as “the most important meal of the day.” Eating breakfast has a number of health benefits. If supper is eaten three hours before bedtime, by the time we wake up, the body has fasted for about 12 hours and it is ready for food. In fact, with this eating pattern, if we skip breakfast, we can experience headaches, drops in blood sugar, and difficulty concentrating. Then when we have the opportunity to eat, we will be so hungry that we often grab something that is readily available, which tends to be a less nutritious snack.
Eating breakfast will jump start your metabolism for the day. When we eat, it increases our body’s energy use, known as diet induced thermogenesis (DIT). In other words, eating sets in place a number of processes to digest and store food; these actions take energy. Studies show that this energy expenditure is higher in the morning than in the evening. Therefore, eating a hearty breakfast, and reducing the amount of calories taken in at lunch and supper can contribute to maintaining one’s weight. When skipping meals, the opposite effect occurs, our body tends to try to conserve any calories that then come in later in the day. This is one of the aspects of dieting that can be frustrating for people; they may be eating less calories, but the body is also trying to conserve energy as it is perceiving a lack of food intake.
People who skip breakfast are more prone to eating foods later in the day that are more palatable (tastier). Typically palatable foods contain higher levels of fat and sugar, which are unhealthy and can cause weight gain. Studies show that people who eat breakfast generally have a lower BMI than those who skip breakfast. The BMI is a measurement of the amount of total fat in one’s body; a higher BMI is associated with being overweight and obese, risk factors for heart disease and cancers. Overall, those who eat breakfast consume less fat during the day.
Research also indicates that if breakfast is eaten before 8:30 a.m., it can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Eating an early breakfast lowers blood sugar levels. It also reduces insulin resistance, when the body becomes resistant to insulin which is needed for cells to take in glucose, causing blood sugar levels to rise. Over time, more and more insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels. This research indicates that the timing of meals is most important in preventing diabetes, with early meals during the day as most healthy. Our body processes carbohydrates (sugar) better in the morning. Skipping breakfast, even occasionally, can result in higher levels of blood sugar after lunch and supper, increasing the risk of developing diabetes. Even skipping breakfast one day a week increased the risk of diabetes by 6%, with increased risks up to 55% if breakfast was skipped four to five days a week. People who already have diabetes and who eat a big breakfast and a small supper had 20% lower blood sugar levels than those who had a small breakfast and a big dinner.
Eating breakfast also improves memory and attention in school-aged children. Studies also show that children and teenagers who skip breakfast tend to become overweight. Having breakfast also lowers blood pressure and improves cholesterol levels. Late night eating raises cholesterol levels. People who eat breakfast tend to be more physically active during the day as eating improves energy levels. The old adage: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper holds true when considering timing of meals.
The timing of food intake is so integral to our health, that it has a greater impact even than the type of food that we eat. Erratic eating patterns increase the risk of disease. If we sustain a healthy eating-fasting cycle, we can maintain a healthy weight, and prevent or reduce many of the chronic diseases that plague mankind.
“Irregularities in eating destroy the healthful tone of the digestive organs, to the detriment of health and cheerfulness.” –Child Guidance, p. 387