Limiting Liquids with Meals
Welcome to Dr. Ark’s Healing Tribe!
Let’s discuss fluid intake during meals. If you’re looking to optimize your digestion (and thus your nutrient absorption) there is a recommended amount of fluid to be consumed during meals. Do you know how much food and drink your stomach can or should fit?
To find the answer, we first need to look into our stomach’s function. The stomach size in a normal human body is approximately 32 oz. However, it can expand to much larger sizes depending on the amount of food consumed.
We eat when we feel hungry, and we stop when we feel full. How do we know when to stop eating? Consequently, how much food and fluids can we consume? Most important to understand is that constant overeating will lead to specific health issues. That is why our body has a particular mechanism to register satiety and stop feeling hungry. Several factors can trigger this response.
Different types of food, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, have distinct pathways of digestion. Each of these has its place and time for digestion as they move throughout the digestive system.
When you eat, your stomach expands to accommodate the food you are ingesting. Stretch receptors in the stomach detect this distention and send signals to your brain, indicating fullness. These signals are relayed via the vagus nerve to the brainstem and then to the hypothalamus, a main brain region for regulating hunger and satiety. This mechanism provides a rapid, short-term signal for meal termination.
In addition to the complex interplay of mechanical signals from stomach distension, hormonal signals from the gut and fat tissue, as well as neural activity in the brain, work together to suppress the feeling of hunger after eating, and regulate food intake.
When we go out to eat, we are offered an appetizer, soup, or salad, and the entrees, and in many places we will be provided with fresh bread. Drinking two or three glasses of fluids in combination with a meal will exceed the size of your stomach. Then your stomach will be forced to empty, and as a result, proteins and fat will be forced to move from the stomach to the small intestine, not being fully broken down in the stomach. Proteins and fats need to stay in the stomach for about 2-4 hours before they can be gradually moved to the small intestine.
Restricting fluid intake during meals maintains gastric volume within optimal limits, allowing for the adequate breakdown of proteins and fats before chyme leaves your stomach and enters the small intestine.
In simpler terms, by moderating how much fluid you drink with meals, you allow your stomach to process proteins and fats more effectively. Therefore, it is recommended to consume 2-4 oz. of warm or room-temperature fluids to help the digestive system process food properly.
As usual, I’ll let my readers decide for themselves if this is something they want to take into account. Next up, I’ll discuss why the temperature of the liquids you drink at meals matters.
From my hands to your healing,
— Dr. Ark
