Digestion Does Not Begin In Your Mouth: Your Brain on Hand Food

Potato-garlic pierogis and spinach.  Applesauce on the side.

I wouldn't call pierogis "hand food."  (Pierogis, if you don't live in parts of Brooklyn or Buffalo or another Polish community, are dumplings filled with mashed potato, or potato plus another ingredient -- common fillings include spinach, mushroom, meat, or, as Veselka has mastered, sweet potato).   They're eaten with forks, slathered in applesauce, sour cream, and/or sauteed onions.   Still, when I cook up a portion, I can't resist eating part of one with my fingers.  It just tastes better.

I'm like that with other non-finger foods, as well.  Roasted potatoes.  Brown rice.   Beans.   Lasagna.   Broccoli.  Most of this is done while cooking just for a taste but sometimes after the meal, too, while putting leftovers away.  And I've been known to outright "eat with my fingers" at my desk at work when no one is looking. :)

I am convinced food really does taste better "from hand" to mouth.  One of my theories is that the food gets closer to your nose, thereby ramping up the eating experience.

Not quite, but almost.   I discovered (after looking into this -- surely I couldn't be the only person willing to admit I'm an enthusiastic hand-eater) scientists are finding a connection between how you eat -- with your hands or with a utensil -- and how the brain responds.   Indeed: the act of picking food up with your fingers triggers a response to the brain and your guts -- your second brain -- to get ready for digestive action.   It's a more "whole body" experience that encourages mindfulness while eating -- you are really engaging with your meal.

Gastro Note:  I've found pierogis are a favorite "easy to digest" food of mine.   When my guts are churning, if I have nausea or other gastro issues, I can always tolerate and enjoy pierogis.  Sometimes it gets crazy -- I've had weeks where I've wanted nothing but pierogis for three days in a row!  (They are insanely delicious, especially in my neighborhood, where they are made fresh just down the street.  The "pierogi factory" -- really! -- makes a few varieties but my favorite is garlic and potato, which are also vegan.  Yeah!)  I eat mine with applesauce -- double points if I've made my own applesauce that week!


SOME LINKAGE ON THE SUBJECT...

NPR's The Salt:  Is Everything More Delicious When You Eat With Your Hands?

Express Tribune:  5 Reasons Why You Should Eat With Your Hands

HinduismToday:  The Ways and Joys of Eating With Your Hands

HinduHumanRights: Vedic Wisdom Behind Eating With Your Hands

Organic Olivia:  How Eating with Chopsticks Massages Your Organs and Stimulates Digestion  An interesting related article...

NY Times:  Mind Your Manners:  Eat With Your Hands

SFGate: A New, Old Restaurant Trend: Eating With Your Hands

Fun with Portion Control!

Portion control is easy when your dishes are this pleasing!

Portion control is key when you have digestive issues.   We should all be eating more slowly, chewing each bite longer, and serving ourselves smaller portions for healthy motility.  In my case, these simple acts make a huge difference in reducing GERD (or eliminating it altogether).   Lately, I've been catching myself eating quickly, and eating beyond feeling full -- often, as I'm putting food away I eat a few extra bites, or I decide I want "just a little spoonful" more after finishing my plate.   Those few extra bites make an impact -- how many times have I felt great at the end of my meal, but then "bloated" and uncomfortable after not listening to my body?  (And, I seem to never learn!)

It is never too late to take a breath and re-train yourself to eat more slowly and mindfully.  Don't fret about past days or weeks.   Focus on today.   

SECRET WEAPON: MY JAPANESE CERAMIC BOWLS

I have been using 1 or 2 cup sized Pyrex glass containers for my lunches -- and the occasional mason jar.   A few months ago, my portable lunch container world shifted when I discovered these Japanese bowls at the inimitable NYC store, Pearl River:

Fantastic lidded bowls from Pearl River, NYC.

Microwavable, with lids, they are made from ceramic -- not lightweight to haul around, but I long gave up plastics, so I'm used to my lunch sack containing sturdy containers.   And, eating lunch in one of these is an aesthetic joy!   The craftsmanship of these bowls inspires me to take my time, enjoy my food, eat mindfully.

EATING OUT:  A FOOTNOTE

Often, eating out with GERD -- or any digestive/diet related concern -- is an ordeal.   J. and I usually dine out at "healthy" vegan or macrobiotic restaurants because we can choose most everything on the menu (a pleasure!), and the dishes are not overly spiced or too salty (though since our home cooking is mostly salt-free, anything remotely salted can be "too" salty for us). 

Restaurant portions are still too large, even in most vegan/macro places.   I wind up taking half home for lunch (not that bad an end).   One recent meal, however, was perfect.   At Blossom, a vegan bistro in Chelsea, NYC, I did not feel overwhelmed at the table by the portion size, and could simply enjoy and focus on the food, completely.  (Another effect of "too-large portions" in restaurants -- I get overwhelmed by the idea of having to finish it all, or the logistics of now having to take half home -- what if I don't feel like schlepping my half-eaten food across town?   Large portions become an emotional burden!)

At Blossom, we had the "tofu benedict" and an order of French toast with fruit.  We split each plate, and the amount was ideal:  about "two fistfuls" of food each.  (Maybe a bit more -- but we did not have busting guts and I had no nausea, regurgitation or other GERD calamities afterward.)   Here is what our breakfast looked like when it arrived:

Brunch at Blossom.

What Not To Do on a Friday

Yesterday was a gastronomic disaster.   My emotional state was grim* and I know this translated to stupid food choices.  Which translated to a cranky gut.  Here's what I did, and shouldn't do again:

1. Did not pack adequate snacks due to laziness and apathy.   Regretted this later.

2. Hungry around 11:30 AM so I snacked on an office platter of cheese cubes and crackers.  Dairy, I know, I know.  I actually enjoyed it very much.  I ate around 6-7 cubes of Swiss and cheddar, and the same number of assorted crackers.  I did make an effort to chew adequately.  

3. I decided to make the cheese and crackers my lunch.  To boost the nutrition value, I ate my apple, which tasted bad.   (A disappointment since I got it at the Farmer's Market.)

4. Between 10 AM and 1 PM, I ate two mini cupcakes (vanilla with chocolate frosting) from Magnolia Bakery.  Leftovers from Thursday's reception.  Yeah, this is all sounding pathetic.  I ate them with excitement, feeling I was breaking a "taboo" (non-vegan crappy baked goods!  sugar sugar sugar before noon!) and I did also enjoy these.

5. I left work early at 2 PM intending to go shopping.  Instead, I felt frozen by my grim thoughts.  And I was caught in a rainy deluge.   My shoes were soaked and my interest in doing anything was thin.     So I just wandered around, accomplishing nothing -- and not enjoying my lack of accomplishment.   I did buy squash at a greenmarket, though, and looked at new eyeglasses.

6. I was hungry at 4:30 PM but instead of eating something nourishing, I had a cup of Darjeeling tea.  With two packets of sugar.

7.  J. met me and I "had to eat" so we went to the local pizza joint and had slices for dinner.

8. By the time I went to bed, I was feeling all bloated, reflux-y, overall "not good."  

I'm not proud of this day's intake, but there it is. 

Saturday morning --  I woke up determined to not repeat those mistakes!   Today's day-long art festival will not be conducive to eating the right foods in the right way -- it is a challenge to eat "in a crowd" and on the go, all day.   Where can I get vegetables?  Foods that are tasty but not overly seasoned?  Will people care that I am eating slow as molasses?

*My grim mood today is due to my realization that I can't have any pets right now for various good reasons.   There is a great cat up for adoption at the corner pet supply store and it's killing me that I can't take him home.

Catch Up

I've been off the blog for a few days due to a lot of work deadlines and some personal sloth (after looking at screens all day I needed a break!).

Since my last post, I've continued mindful chewing, small portions, and increased exercise.  I have been able to resume my morning weights and stationery bike routine, and managed a few long morning walks this week.

SLOW FOOD:  RESULTS

I was disheartened after 48 hours of slow eating/chewing when I noticed some heartburn.  I also have been feeling immensely full after my dinners.  Is this because I'm eating so slowly and really feeling the effects of the digestion process?   Maybe I need to eat even less at a sitting.  Still, even with symptoms here and there, there is a tangible difference in how my "gut" feels.  I can almost sense my stomach sighing with relief at having not to try so hard.   Does this make sense?


CUPCAKES ON THURSDAY

I also veered off my mostly vegan diet and ate two mini cupcakes at a reception on Thursday.  They were from the famous Magnolia Bakery, so my curiosity overcame my dietary regimen.   I had the first at the reception and the second one hours later (we had leftovers in the office).   The first cupcake (chocolate with vanilla frosting) was not pleasing, in taste or result.  My stomach felt immediately displeased.   The second one (vanilla with chocolate frosting) did not affect me in the same way at all -- I enjoyed that one both for taste and no aftermath.  Strange.

THIS WEEK'S DISCOVERY

Homemade almond milk!  From the Green Bean Cafe, where they also make homemade Brazil Nut milk, cashew nut milk and other vegan delicacies.  On Wednesday afternoon, I had a hot chocolate made from almond milk and felt as though I had taken nine vitamins -- extraordinary!  One of the best $4.75 purchases I've made (worth every penny!) and am destined to repeat.

Secret Weapon: Chewing Your Food (REALLY Chewing Your Food)

I experimented yesterday with this "chewing until liquified" business and am very impressed. I feel a difference, enough to inspire me to try this mindful chewing for a week.  (And beyond, if it works.)

Yesterday, I deliberately chewed my way through breakfast, lunch out, and a dinner party.   I "forgot" twice -- when I snacked on a banana and while mingling at the get-together over a bowl of popcorn.   I am not chewing 100, 50, or even 30 times -- more like 15 times,  I am chewing about 50-70 times (I counted!) or until the food is pulverized into a slurry.

My GERD symptoms were dramatically reduced all day, even into the night after a late dinner.  This morning, I experienced some belching, but that's it.   Hurrah!

I am fascinated by this idea.  Why does excessive chewing help?  Is it because more saliva is being sent down with each bite?  Or chewing gives the stomach time to receive signals that "food is coming" and set the digestive tract in motion?   Does breaking down food help the stomach get a "head start?"   Health professionals agree that chewing gum can relieve GERD, so it appears something in the chewing action is responsible for relieving GERD symptoms.

So, I'll chronicle my week(s) of "mindful eating" here and let you know if this makes a difference!  

Updates for a Lazy Sunday

A cool and sunny Sunday -- just perfect for a morning bike ride once my flat tire is repaired.  The unexpected downtime this morning is pleasing.  I'm cleaning the apartment, listening to This American Life podcasts, engaging in more de-cluttering (once you start…), and I've been looking around the web and found a few places of interest:

zenhabits

Mindfulness, minimalism, and making your life less complicated.  And one of "the Top 25 blogs and Top 50 websites in the world."  I expect to spend some time on this site.

No Meat Athlete

Runner Matt Frazier's popular site full of his personal insights on the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.   Poke around, there's a bunch of information and inspiration here.

Min Hus

One woman's chronicle of life in a mini-house.   Well-done blog with loads of photos and anecdotes.  I love the "min hus" and its owner's point of view.  Anyone who calls books "sacred clutter" goes to my church.

NOTE ON MACROBIOTICS POST:  

Thanks to Anonymous for the feedback regarding macrobiotics and the suggestion to follow the macro principle of "chewing until liquified."  I agree this may help -- the extra saliva can only aid digestion once the food hits my stomach, not to mention the act of slowing down may reduce the amount of food I eat altogether, keeping me from over-eating at a given meal.

This morning's breakfast was my first effort to really chew well before EVERY swallow, and it was more difficult than I expected to keep up that slow pace.   (Wow, do I really eat that fast?)   Should I try a week of this mindful chewing and blog about my results here?