If you can't meet the following five standards, it's not considered eating properly.
Do you usually eat properly? Experts point out that if you can meet 12 of these 20 standards, you can be considered up to standard; if you have fewer than 5, you need to pay attention and correct it in time.
1. Sit up straight while eating. When people eat, their bodies are relaxed, and it's easy to slouch. Unknowingly, this compresses the esophagus and stomach, affecting digestion. In addition, eating at a low table, sitting on a sofa, or squatting to eat will also put pressure on the abdomen, affecting the blood circulation of the digestive tract, which can lead to stomach problems and affect cardiopulmonary function over time. The correct posture for eating is to sit up straight so that the stomach is not under any pressure.
2. Drink some porridge when you are very hungry. When people are extremely hungry, their appetite is particularly strong, and they want to eat everything they see. In fact, the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract is already impaired at this time, and overeating can easily cause indigestion. When you are very hungry, you should eat some semi-liquid foods in small amounts, such as porridge, noodles, or rice noodles, and then slowly return to a normal diet. Especially note that when you are very hungry, avoid drinking milk, soy milk, yogurt, and eating sweet potatoes, as they may cause digestive problems.
3. Keep a 4-6 hour interval between meals. Too long or too short an interval between meals will affect the human body. A long interval will cause a strong sense of hunger, affecting labor and work efficiency; an interval that is too short does not give the digestive organs adequate rest, affecting appetite and digestion. Generally, mixed food stays in the stomach for about 4-5 hours, so an interval of 4-6 hours between meals is more appropriate.
4. Eat your favorite foods first. On the table, there are definitely dishes you prefer and those you don't. Which should you eat first? Experts suggest eating your favorite foods first, which will give you emotional satisfaction. A pleasant mood can quickly lead to a feeling of fullness, avoiding overeating.
5. Don't use your brain immediately after a meal. After a meal, blood in the body flows to the digestive organs, and the brain is relatively ischemic. Using your brain at this time can cause mental stress, decreased memory, and may also increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, you must rest for more than half an hour after a meal before returning to work. Listening to music or taking a walk are good choices.
6. Don't talk about unpleasant things while eating. As the saying goes, "Don't speak while eating, don't talk while sleeping." Talking while eating reduces the number of times you chew food and decreases saliva secretion, thus affecting digestion. A new study in the United States points out that discussing complex or unpleasant topics during a meal can affect a person's appetite and digestion; it's better to talk about simple and pleasant topics.
7. Eat a hot breakfast. In the early morning, the nerves and blood vessels in the human body are still in a state of contraction. If you eat cold food at this time, it may cause the digestive system to cramp. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that breakfast should be hot to protect the stomach's energy. It is recommended to choose hot congee, hot oatmeal, hot soy milk for breakfast, and pair them with dry staples like buns or bread.
8. Drink tea half an hour after a meal. It is not advisable to drink tea immediately after a meal, as it will dilute gastric juice and affect food digestion. At the same time, tannic acid in tea and protein in food will form indigestible coagulated substances, adding a burden to the stomach. Drinking tea half an hour after a meal can promote digestion and absorption, and has the effects of sterilizing, disinfecting, and protecting teeth.
9. Don't eat cold drinks at night. After 7 p.m., the body's fluid metabolism decreases. Eating cold food, especially cold drinks, at this time is not easy to relieve fatigue and can affect sleep.
10. Eat less dessert after a meal. A main meal has already provided enough sugar. Eating dessert afterward will cause the body to absorb excess glucose and starch. This is especially true after eating greasy foods.
11. Eat more dark-colored vegetables. Dark-colored vegetables refer to dark green, red, and purplish-red vegetables. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that you should eat half a catty of vegetables daily, of which dark-colored vegetables should account for more than half. Their vitamin C content is twice that of light-colored vegetables. For example, the nutritional value of dark purple eggplant, purple onions, purple cabbage, purple sweet potatoes is significantly higher than that of light green eggplant, white onions, cabbage, and sweet potatoes.
12. Eat a mix of animal and vegetable oils. Eating only vegetable oil can promote an increase of peroxides in the body, accelerate aging, and affect the absorption of vitamins by the human body, increasing the incidence of breast cancer and colon cancer. Animal oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, lipoproteins, and other substances that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Experts remind us that a mixed oil made with 1 part animal oil and 2 parts vegetable oil can combine the strengths of both.
13. The eating environment should be quiet. A study by the University of Manchester in the UK showed that as noise increases, the subjects' sensitivity to the sweet and salty tastes of food decreases. The study also showed that a noisy dining environment can dull a person's sense of taste. Experts suggest not choosing restaurants with noisy environments for meals, and having soft music as a background can make the food taste better.
14. Don't eat alone. Eating alone can easily lead to negative emotions, and a monotonous diet can cause nutritional imbalance. Eating with colleagues and family can make you happy, and gastric juice secretion is relatively abundant, which can help food to be digested and absorbed quickly. In addition, when eating with others, there is a wider variety of foods, and eating a little of each can easily achieve a nutritional balance.
15. Add some vinegar to bone broth. The body's absorption and utilization of calcium are constrained by many factors. Foods rich in calcium include milk, eggs, bone broth, fish and shrimp, soybeans, etc. Insufficient acidity in the gastrointestinal tract can affect calcium absorption. Therefore, adding some vinegar when cooking can convert the calcium in food into calcium acetate, which is easily absorbed.