As vegetarians, we have a good idea about the types of foods we should be eating, and what foods to avoid. We know how to eat a balanced vegetarian or vegan diet, that includes all the nutrients that our body requires to maintain our health. We also know that many foods which are considered vegetarian are not necessarily healthy. These include highly processed foods that contain sugar, white flour, and many additives, and so we avoid those types of foods.
But, how many of us consciously think about our eating habits? Not only is it important what we eat, but how and when we eat. Many years ago, the Messenger produced an article called “Rules of Eating”, which was one page long. This article is an expansion, with more details and addressing current research on some of the health habits that were addressed in the original article. Let us take an in-depth look at a few healthy eating habits, and why they are so important to our health.
EAT SLOWLY
Many of us may recall our mothers telling us to slow down when we eat. As children, eating was something that we did in the midst of all our activities and play time; the faster we ate, the quicker we could return to our fun. But, why is it important to eat slowly?
The digestion of our food begins in the mouth. We need to chew our food thoroughly so that it will be well mixed with saliva. A healthy person produces 0.75 to 1.5 litres of saliva per day. Contained in our saliva are digestive enzymes that are essential in beginning to digest certain foods. Specifically, saliva contains amylase and lipase, which break down starches and fats. Starches are foods that are made up of complex carbohydrates (sugars). These include grains (bread, pasta), potatoes, tubers, yams, and rice. These enzymes also play a role in breaking down food particles trapped within the crevices of our teeth. All food contains bacteria, which creates acid when it starts to decompose. If food is trapped in your mouth and left for long periods of time, this acid can wear away at the enamel, which is the tooth’s protective coating; it can also cause inflammation of the gums. Therefore, saliva helps reduces the risk of dental caries (cavities) and gum disease. Brushing one’s teeth after each meal also helps to remove the food that has lodged in the crevices of our teeth.
Saliva coats the inside of the mouth, protecting it from damage during eating and swallowing. Mouth soreness is very common in people with reduced saliva causing food (especially dry food) to stick to the inside of the mouth. When we chew thoroughly, our food is moistened and also softened; this will also prevent our esophagus from damage. Chew the food well so that it swallows itself. “If your time is limited, do not bolt our food, but eat less, and masticate slowly. The benefit derived from food does not depend so much on the quantity eaten, as on its thorough digestion; nor the gratification of taste so much on the food swallowed, as on the length of time it remains in the mouth.” –Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 51
DO NOT DRINK WITH MEALS
Sister White tells us that “the more liquid there is taken into the stomach with the meals, the more difficult it is for the food to digest; for the liquid must first be absorbed. . . . But if anything is needed to quench thirst, pure water, drunk some little time before or after the meal, is all that nature requires.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 420.
Presently, nutritionists have conflicting thoughts on whether drinking with meals actually affects our ability to digest food. Research shows, as Sister White wrote many years ago, that drinking water will reduce the amount of saliva the body produces, therefore affecting the digestive process that takes place when food mixes with saliva. Various studies show that drinking water with meals also severely hampers digestion by diluting gastric juices and causing a rise in insulin levels. Because the digestive process is hindered, it leaves behind a lot of undigested food behind in the system. The glucose from this undigested food converts into fat and is stored in your body. This process leads to the upsurge of insulin, which causes a rise in the blood sugar levels of the body, and can lead to diabetes and obesity.
Other nutritionists say that drinking water with meals is actually beneficial. In deciding which research to believe, it is wise to follow the research that aligns with the counsel of the Spirit of Prophecy, as it has been divinely inspired. Thus, we should avoid drinking fluids with our meals.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER ON ARISING AND IN BETWEEN MEALS
When you sleep, you are not drinking any liquids, including water, for at least eight hours. Your body slowly becomes dehydrated, as it needs fluids to function. Even slight dehydration can decrease energy levels. Most research recommends drinking 500 ml (2 Cups) of water right after you wake up, and at least 30 minutes before you eat breakfast. Drinking water as soon as one gets up from bed boosts your metabolism. It helps flush out toxins; your kidneys do the job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as our intake of fluids is adequate. It also helps in moving one’s bowels. Constipation is often caused by drinking too little fluids. Our body is 55–60% water, with our brain being made up of over 70% water. When we are not properly hydrated, our brain operates on less fuel, and we can feel less mentally capable.
A study showed that people who drink a glass of water before each meal lost 4.5 pounds over a 3-month period, because water fills up the stomach and people feel full as a result. Also, drinking water in between meals helps to prevent snacking in between meals. If hungry between meals, take a drink of water. This will help reduce the feelings of hunger.
Drinking water too soon after you eat your meal will affect digestion. Our stomach is adept at absorbing water, but an excess of water after a meal dilutes the enzymes that are essential for digestion. Waiting to drink for at least an hour after meals allows the body to absorb nutrients. Drinking at least half hour before meals and an hour after meals is the best way to aid digestion of food.
“Water is the best liquid possible to cleanse the tissues.” –The Review and Herald, July 29, 1884
EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS
How often should we be eating? What is the counsel of the Spirit of Prophecy? “After the regular meal is eaten, the stomach should be allowed to rest for five hours. Not a particle of food should be introduced into the stomach till the next meal. In this interval the stomach will perform its work and will then be in a condition to receive more food.” –Child Guidance, p. 389
Let us look at the current ideas regarding meals and snacks. The American Heart Association (AHA) has developed guidelines on meal timing and frequency of meals and snacks for optimal health.
In the early 1970’s meals made up 82% of adult calorie intake and snacks contributed 18%. Today meals make up 77% of calories while snacks contribute 23%. A recent study showed that healthy adults eat an average of 4.2 to 10.5 times per day, and over a period of 15 hours each day. People are dividing up their calories with frequent meals and snacks in a 24-hour period, not allowing their stomach to rest in between meal times. What effect does this have on our health?
What happens when we eat frequently is that our body needs to release insulin every few hours to digest our food. Eventually our body’s cells become insensitive to insulin. This is also called “insulin resistance.” When we have insulin circulating in our body constantly, the body begins to respond less to insulin. The same amount of insulin has less of an effect, so in order for the body to be able to move glucose (sugar) out of the blood stream and store the excess as fat, the body needs to release more and more insulin. Eventually the body
does not have enough insulin to break through this resistance, and the glucose stays in the blood stream. This leads to the condition known as diabetes.
Scientists have long known that the human body has a master clock in the brain, known as the circadian rhythm that governs our sleep-wake cycles in response to light. A couple of decades ago, researchers discovered that there is not just one clock in the body but a collection of them. Every organ has an internal clock that governs its daily cycle of activity within a 24-hour period. Jesus created this earth with a 24-hour day/night, and in His wisdom, he also created our bodies to align with this 24-hour period. These rhythms exist because, just like our brains need to go to sleep each night to repair, reset and rejuvenate, every organ needs to have down time to repair and reset as well. The circadian rhythm tells our bodies when to sleep, rise, and eat within the 24-hour period; it regulates hormone levels, body temperature, and digestion. Adjusting the timing of our sleeping, rising and eating to coincide with the natural circadian rhythm ensures that our body is best able to regulate the many processes that take place in our bodies. This means that our bodies sleep better, process food better, function better, if we adhere to the 24-hour “body clock.”
People can improve overall health when they eat their meals in a daily 10-12 hour window, taking their first bite of food in the morning and their last bite early in the evening. This approach is known as early time-restricted feeding, derives from the daily rhythm of our digestive system, with our hormones, enzymes and digestive systems primed for food intake in the morning and afternoon. This aligns with the counsel from the Spirit of Prophecy. Many people, however, snack and graze from roughly the time they wake up until shortly before they go to bed.
An experiment was done with a small group of prediabetic men. They compared the group when they ate over a standard period of time vs time-restricted eating. They were surprised as to the significant impact on health that time-restricted eating had. The men had lower insulin, reduced levels of oxidative stress, less nighttime hunger and significantly lower blood pressure.
If we eat outside of the hours in which our body functions best, including digesting our food, it can have serious implications for the development of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. More research is being done to examine the negative health effects of a disrupted circadian rhythm, such as increasing the chances of heart attacks, strokes, and obesity, and with the development of neurological problems such as depression and bipolar disorder.
The AHA defines breakfast as the first meal of the day, eaten within 2 hours of waking up, typically somewhere between 5am and 10am. Fewer adults nowadays eat breakfast, which is connected with the overall increase in obesity in our society. Another study showed that 74% of those who skipped breakfast did not meet two-thirds of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamins and minerals compared with 41% of those who consumed breakfast. If an individual skips breakfast, he/she is more likely to snack on unhealthy foods, which are nutrient-poor, to satisfy their hunger.
People who routinely skip breakfast are also more likely to have higher blood sugar levels and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels. While there is a connection between skipping breakfast and obesity, eating breakfast does not typically aid in weight loss. People eat numerous times throughout the day, and the total daily calorie intake and food choices made have a greater impact on weight than whether or not breakfast is eaten.
We have heard this recommendation many times—to eat like a king at breakfast, like a prince at lunch, and like a pauper at dinner. The typical habit of most North Americans is to eat their largest meal in the evening when they get home from work. However, the habit of eating the largest meal late in the evening, instead of during the day, increases heart and metabolic risk factors.
Millions of North Americans work rotating shifts, including evening and night shifts; therefore, the AHA does not define lunch and dinner at a specific time of day. They acknowledge that people who do shift work have inconsistent meal times. However, they also state that eating more meals and fewer snacks is associated with healthier food choices that include more fruit, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based protein sources. Typically, the food eaten while someone is snacking is usually highly processed and, therefore, less healthy. Although the AHA acknowledges that many people’s eating habits include snacking, they do not promote the habit of snacking in between meals.
“Many turn from light and knowledge, and sacrifice principle to taste. They eat when the system needs no food, and at irregular intervals, because they have no moral stamina to resist inclination. As the result, the abused stomach rebels, and suffering follows. Regularity in eating is very important for health of body and serenity of mind. Never should a morsel of food pass the lips between meals.” –Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 50
Sister White gave counsel to a man who was overeating and eating at improper times. She told him that this pattern of eating caused his mind to be unbalanced. “You should not eat more than two meals a day. If you feel that you must eat at night, take a drink of cold water, and in the morning you will feel much better for not having eaten.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 501. She also suggests to those who cannot adhere to eating only two meals a day: “The practice of eating but two meals a day is generally found a benefit to health; yet under some circumstances persons may require a third meal. This should, however, if taken at all, be very light, and of food most easily digested.” –Counsels for the Church, p. 224. It should also be eaten “several hours before going to bed.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 158. Cultures, such as those who adhere to the Mediterranean diet, which tend to adhere to small meals in the evening are healthier overall. Perhaps it is not so much the specific type of food they eat, as much as the timing and size of the meals.
Although the AHA is not as strong in their language as is the Spirit of Prophecy, their guidelines recommend eating meals at regular times, ensuring that breakfast be eaten, and cutting back on snacking, and avoiding large meals late in the evening.
DO NOT EAT LATE IN THE EVENING OR AT NIGHT
As night time approaches, the lack of sunlight signals the brain to release melatonin, which prepares us for sleep. Eating late in the evening sends a conflicting signal to the clocks in the rest of the body that it’s still daytime. Eventually all the different clocks of the system become out of sync with each other. Just like our brains are affected when we disrupt its rhythm by burning the midnight oil or flying across several time zones, eating at the wrong time of the day places a similar strain on the organs involved in digestion, forcing them to work when they are programmed to be resting. This disruption in the circadian rhythm has shown to increase the risk of obesity and various diseases, such as heart disease.
Eating late is defined as eating within 2 hours of going to bed. People also who work the midnight shift and eat during times that most people are asleep tend to have higher blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels; higher blood pressure; and are at higher risk for certain cancers. Again, this is related to our circadian rhythms. Insulin is necessary for the cells of our body to absorb glucose (sugar). Studies show that more insulin is produced during an evening meal than during a morning meal. Therefore, eating the same amount of food at supper as at breakfast will cause more weight gain because more food is absorbed by our cells in the evening. According to our body’s circadian rhythm we are not intended to eat food at night. Eating at night confuses our circadian rhythm, as food intake is expected to take place during daylight hours; thus our sleep is affected when we eat at night.
“The stomach, when we lie down to rest, should have its work all done, that it may enjoy rest, as well as other portions of the body. The work of digestion should not be carried on through any period of the sleeping hours. . . . The stomach becomes weary by being kept constantly at work. . . . The stomach must have its regular periods for labour and rest; hence eating irregularly and in between meals, is a most pernicious violation of the laws of health.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 175
If you feel that you must eat before you go to bed, take a drink of cold water instead. Drinking water an hour before going to bed also assists with keeping the body hydrated. Do not drink so much that your sleep is disrupted by getting up to the bathroom.
As we have learned, healthful eating should not only be focused on what we eat but should also encompass avoiding drinking with meals, eating too quickly, eating in between meals, and eating at irregular times, which will affect our health significantly in a negative way. Therefore, we need not only to be mindful of what we eat, but how and when we eat.
“We are not to indulge in any habit that will weaken physical or mental strength, or abuse our powers in any way. We are to do all in our power to keep ourselves in health, in order that we may have sweetness of disposition, a clear mind, and be able to distinguish between the sacred and the common, and honour God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His.” –Child Guidance, p. 364