In our regular routines, these days, many of us are water-logged with advice on what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. Together with good calorie and nutrient-based intake advices, that you may even have heard about avoiding eating while standing up or lying down, as was forbidden during Ancient Greece or Rome. It may appear to make sense, but how much scientific indication is there to back up this advice?
Be Aware Of Your Position While Eating
The first of these positions, eating lying down, was stylish to the ancients. This may not merely have been through lethargy or a show of wealth and power - as some researchers have suggested, lying down on your left side reduces the weight on the antrum or lower portion of the stomach, thus relieving anxiety during a feast. As few of us truly have banquet nowadays - at least in the Roman sense - this might not be so significant.
There is some indication that we absorb carbohydrates at a slower rate when eating lying down likened to sitting, and this is likely due to the rate of gastric emptying. Gentler absorption of carbohydrates is generally measured to be healthy as it avoids large points in insulin.
Then again, eating lying down may increase the risk of evolving gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD), a disorder where the stomach's contents return back up into the oesophagus through the cardiac or oesophageal sphincter, a ring of muscle that wheels the passage of food from the throat to the stomach. This state is found with increasing occurrence worldwide and can cause momentous discomfort, often being mistaken for a heart attack.
Sitting vs Standing: The Pros And Cons
Whether we sit down or stand up for a variety of activities throughout the day is a interesting issue. Sitting, which alongside lying down makes up our deskbound behavior, is gradually linked to poor health, although there is some argument around this. But when it comes to eating our meals, it seems for once sitting might be the better choice. People be more likely to take their time over a meal if seated, although this has not been extremely studied. Eating more slowly is healthy as it more rapidly intense satisfactions of being fullness and decreases appetite, leading to a potential decrease in calorie intake.
As for eating while standing up, there is no studies that it has any connection that could affect digestion and it isn't included on any lists of banned activity by healthcare professionals. Though gravity isn't needed for most of the function of the gut, it does help with avoiding GORD, which is why many victims raise the head of their bed at night.
Standing during eating does have the benefit of encouraging more energy outflow, with estimates of around 50 extra calories an hour burned by standing likened with sitting down. Over an extended period, this would add up more.
So, is it healthier to eat sitting, standing, or lying down? While there is not enough scientific signal to positively state that eating in either of any position is more appropriate, it's likely that as long as you take your time and eat attentively, either standing or sitting to eat your meals should be categorically fine and a healthier substitute to eating lying down.
