19:24:00
So what is eating? can u describe to me? Sound philosophical, but eating is physical, chemical and sociological consequences, particularly for human. When we have dinner with the family, it is not only the act of sharing a meal to fill our stomachs. It is also a 'safe' place where families can share problems or grouses. It is a forum to air and iron out family problems. why is that so? I guess you can't get too angry when your stomach is quite full. It is just something we have always done, from out hunter-gatherer ancestors to our modern-day concrete-dwelling ways.
In a lot of ways, food bring people together. In hunter-gatherer
communities, groups of men went out to hunt and when they came back with their
spoils, they shared them. You can still witness this in native communities
everywhere. Of course, things are changing. We spend ever dwindling amount of
time with family. Some of us spend more 'quality-time' with the
computer/smartphone than the children or folks. Even at the dinner table, our
touch screens take center-stage. We are more likely to Whats-app each other at
the table than say it in person. Do i sense a problem here?
Eating can be broken into 2 parts;
1. What happens in the mouth.
2. What happens in the digestive tract.
When you put food in your mouth, you instinctively chew with your teeth. Chewing breaks down food to more manageable and digestible pieces so that your stomach can break it down further and extract all necessary nutrients within. You know the consequences of not chewing your food properly or indigestion. What is less obvious is that while you chew, your salivary glands release saliva, which contains enzymes that break down food and it goes down esophagus, which leads to your stomach.
The food flows down the esophagus in a
very particular fashion call peristalsis. It is contraction of smooth muscle
tissue of the esophagus to propel food to the stomach and prevents food coming
up again.
Once the food and enzymes has entered the stomach, it triggers acids and
enzymes to be released. When sufficient food has entered the stomach, it
trigger a release of chemicals to tell the brain that is full. Think of it is
the petrol gauge in your car. Food in the stomach gets digested and broken into
components like starches, amino acids and vitamins and these are released into
the bloodstream. Digestion continues ti happen in the Lang labyrinth if
intestines about 8 metres, where digested food is broken down further and
finally expelled when we defecate.
Taking a bite
Eating begins when your baby leaves the womb. The baby cries for
nourushment, and you feed her with breast milk or infant formula. In generally,
the first baby teeth arrive around 5-7 months. The new teeth are a mixed
blessing. Your babies gums hurt and you spend lots of time coaxing and
comforting her. But once the teeth set in, you introduce her to semi-solid
food. You started her off on foods like porridge or blended carrot or the
smooth food can u give. Eventually, you introduced more solid food into her
diet. She grows by leaps and bounds and before you know it, she can feed
herself. The relief you must have felt when she no longer had more food around
her than in her mouth. The cycle of learning to eat has ended.
Fast forward to your life today. You are a successful executive, with all
the latest gadget, car, condo and country club membership. You are on top of
the world, buy did you care with the food u take and eat? You don't have the
time to spare for eating. Eating is for losers, so you grab whatever food you
can at the fast-food joint. When the day is out, you grab a beer with
colleagues and toast another successful project. You get carried away and
debauch your night away.'It's OK, I will be fine in the morning'. Or so you
think. You don't give your food much thought and you continue in this vein for
years.
Time catches up on you and a decade has past. You now have a family of your own. You start to feel that your health is amiss. Your teeth are well past their yearly check up, you have been feeling uneasiness in your gums. You decide to go to your doctor and dentist for check up. You are in far a 'great' surprise. You cholesterol and blood sugar is out of border line. Your dentist tells you that your gums aren't looking good either.
Mostly we feel regret, denial, anger and other negative thinking emotions.
You refuese to believe it, you want to believe you are still at the the top of
your game. But the numbers don't lie. You have a big problem and you are at the
crossroad. Should you change your life or continue down the path you are
already on? Is success more important than health? You sit and ponder. Take a
time and rest, look at your child playing with his toys, what do you feel?
Your doctor warns that if you keep up the trend, you are at great risk of a
heart attack, stroke and diabetes. He call them the evil trio of
non-communicable diseases. You could have all the money in the world, but you
may ot be able to enjoy any of it in the
long run. Your dentist tells you about your teeth may appear fine, buy your
gums are slightly inflamed.
She is concerned that you may hae a gum disease known as periodontitis. If
you do nothing about it, eventually your gums will become infected and your
teeth may just fall-off. Chewing will become a chore and you may never be able
to munch on your favorite tidbits again.
You think long and hard, to decide to turn over a new leaf. You take a time
to eat. You start to realize that you have less indigestion and heartburn because
you are eating better and you take your time to eat. You eat at home even
started learning to cook self. You enjoy cooking and eating, the time your
spend with your family it’s so valuable. You whole perspective on life has
changed. You turned over a new leaf, and now the moment of truth, you go for
your medical check-up. The results are startling. Your cholesterol and blood
pressure are normal, and you are no longer teetering towards diabetes. You feel
enjoy after this a u can get a better life after this.
Plan to do list for heath
Here are some suggestions for your health. Remember, it is never too late to
start;- Take your eating seriously. Start by taking time to eat and chewing slowly. It will prevent digestive problems and ensure that you absorb the necessary nutrition to keep your body well.
- Cooking for you and your family. Cooking can be tedious, but the benefits are obvious. It gives you control over what goes into your mouth and ensures you have all the necessary food groups.
- Control your alcohol intake. Alcohol is moderate amounts may do some good, but it can be fame line between moderate and overdoing it. Too much alcohol can affect the health of your teeth as well.
- Limit or give up smoking. Smoking affects everything from your risk of getting cancer, heart disease and also gum problems.
Sometimes, even with your best efforts, it can fail, making chewing difficult, particularly when you get older. Here are some tips on nutrition when you need to be on a soft diet:
- Puree fruit and combine them into shakes or smoothies. It helps you get you vitamins and minerals without having to bite.
- Porridge or oatmeal with pureed vegetable or fruits.
- Steamed or boiled vegetable.
- Scrambled eggs are a good protein sources
- Cottage cheese and dairy products.
- Ground meat or fish.
- Drinkable food supplements can be used for those unable to chew.
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