Contents
Easter table from the perspective of a dietitian
- Statistics prove that we eat much larger portions in company, which is a perfect example of the phenomenon of social facilitation at the Easter table.
- Hasty consumption and lack of concentration while eating contribute to stomach problems and drown out natural signals about satisfying hunger.
- Roksana Środa, a clinical dietitian known from the 14th season of “MasterChef”, points out that the key to well-being during the holidays is to celebrate meals and make small changes to traditional recipes.
- Find out how to delicately communicate your dietary restrictions to your loved ones and learn how to avoid flatulence!
Roksana Środa is an expert in the field of clinical dietetics, focusing on problems of the digestive and hormonal systems. In his activities, he combines medical knowledge with personal experience in the fight against diseases such as IBS, SIBO, PCOS and Hashimoto’s disease. She gained popularity thanks to her participation in the 14th edition of the “MasterChef Polska” program, where she proved that healthy eating can go hand in hand with excellent taste. The creator of the MajDiet Health Center, the MajAcademy educational platform and the SkanuJemy application shares her ways to make Easter feasts not only delicious, but also kind to our body.
Why do we eat more during the holidays? Roksana Środa explains the mechanisms
The Christmas table is usually full of food. It is worth understanding whether we actually eat larger portions in larger groups and what psychological mechanisms are behind this. Also interesting are the consequences of eating food quickly for our health and how Poles cope with the pace of eating during Easter meetings.
Roksana Wednesday: The Easter table is not only a tradition, but also a fascinating element for observing eating habits – the holiday season sometimes even changes our relationship with food. The abundance of food, the presence of loved ones and a specific atmosphere mean that physiological signals of satiety often give way to social mechanisms.
Research in the field of nutritional psychology clearly shows that the size of a meal consumed is directly proportional to the number of people at the table. We call this phenomenon social facilitation of eating. Statistically, when eating with one person, we eat about 33% more than alone, while in a group of more than seven people, the portion may increase by up to 70-90%. Of course, these are statistics, but let’s remember that each of us is different and we should not treat them as the gold standard. Group meals take longer – this is both my personal experience and observation. We engage in conversation at the table, which causes the consumption process to extend over time. This is the positive aspect, because eating calmly and slowly promotes better digestion. But the other side of the coin is that we reach for more helpings not out of hunger, but out of a desire to continue the interaction. Moreover, when we watch others eat, we also feel like eating more, even though we already feel full. Why is this happening? During the discussion, the brain stops monitoring the signals coming from the stomach receptors. There is the so-called inattentive eating – when attention is focused on external stimuli (conversation), the satiety signal reaching the hypothalamus is ignored or interpreted with a long delay. For the same reason, I always encourage you to eat your meals mindfully, slowly every day, and not get distracted by looking at your phone or reading a book – this will cause most people to eat more than expected. In addition, fast eating has a number of negative effects on the digestive system – digestive disorders, flatulence, reflux symptoms, impaired MMC function (the mechanism for cleansing the small intestine of food residues in the periods between meals – ed.) and delayed intestinal cleansing.
Mindful eating and digestion. An expert from the “MasterChef” program gives facts
There is a lot of talk about the fact that eating meals with full concentration promotes overall health. It is worth taking a look at the scientific evidence that eating slowly brings real and measurable benefits to our digestive system..
R.Ś.: Contrary to appearances, the digestion process does not start in the stomach, but in the mouth, and you can even go further and say that in the cerebral cortex. Digestion is a process controlled by the parasympathetic system, in which the vagus nerve plays the main role. Stress, rush or strong emotions activate the sympathetic nervous system – this causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline, which results in the outflow of blood from the digestive tract to the skeletal muscles.. Intestinal peristalsis and the secretion of digestive enzymes are inhibited, which makes digestion worse and longer. Celebrating a meal helps maintain the activity of the vagus nerve, which optimizes blood supply to the abdominal organs and ensures smooth intestinal transit. Another confirmation is the secretion of gastric juice (necessary for digestion), which is related to eating hygiene. Mindful eating allows you to take full advantage of the so-called cephalic phase, which is responsible for approximately 20-30% of the total secretion of gastric juice in response to a meal. When we eat in a hurry, we skip this stage, which results in the digestive system “surprisingly” and this may lead to gastric hypoacidity and digestive disorders. We associate food mainly with the digestive tract and digestion, but interestingly – it also affects the hormonal balance! Eating a meal slowly, especially one containing fiber and protein, promotes a milder glycemic curve. Smaller fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels translate into better well-being after a meal, no so-called “brain fog” and longer satisfaction with food.
Celebration of meals during Easter. Roksana Środa advises
Applying the principles of mindful eating during noisy family gatherings can be a challenge. The dietitian is happy to share proven methods on how to celebrate Christmas dishes without unnecessary rush.
R.Ś.: I always encourage you to practice mindful eating and treat it as an element of healthy eating and health care! However, I know that it can be very difficult at first. Especially when so far all meals were eaten on the run. Therefore, it is great to start with specific methods that will also work great during the holidays, and then gradually implement them into your daily habits.
- The simplest method is to put away the cutlery after eating a portion. As long as we hold the fork in our hand, we are subconsciously preparing the next portion.
- When eating, focus on celebrating and feeling each flavor of the dish. When eating very quickly, some people are unable to even remember the flavors.
- Instead of adding food during a conversation, put everything you want on one plate and treat it as your specific meal. Thanks to this, you avoid snacking in small pieces, which the brain often does not include in the satiety balance.
- After eating your main meal, wait at least 15-20 minutes for a break before reaching for dessert. Often, after such a break, it turns out that the desire for dessert is much smaller or disappears completely.
- Remember that the holidays don’t have to be about food. It is also time devoted to loved ones, which you can spend on a walk or playing board games together.
Dietary restrictions at the holiday table. How to host everyone?
Nowadays, a large part of society struggles with food intolerances. It is extremely important to plan the Christmas menu in such a way that everyone feels at ease, which sometimes requires prior communication with the invited guests..
R.Ś.: We spend Christmas with family. If our parents or grandparents do not know about our health problems, let’s not be afraid to tell them! I believe that our health and our comfort – physical and mental – are the most important every day. And traditional dishes that aggravate severe intestinal problems will only take away the joy of time spent together. Therefore, I always encourage you to talk about our limitations and health problems before the holidays and to find a common way to prepare (at least some of) dishes that will not harm anyone.. Taking into account such disorders as celiac disease, lactose intolerance, IBS or SIBO – a significant part of the dishes can be easily modified and adapted to the assumptions of a therapeutic diet. When I was treating IBS and SIBO many years ago, I decided to organize holidays and most of the dishes were low FODMAP, and no one in the household noticed the difference. But apart from that, a great method that I always recommend to our patients is to prepare 2-3 dishes yourself that the whole family will enjoy. Thanks to this, we will feel at ease and be sure that we can eat something without restrictions and without harm to our health. At the same time, we will not feel “different” because the other guests will also eat the same dishes. Moreover, bringing something from yourself to the Christmas table will always be approved by your parents or grandparents.
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