How to eat less

Lifehack #1: Don't wait until the evening to eat — otherwise, the intense feeling of hunger will cause you to eat too much. It is better to have breakfast and lunch as usual so that you don't overeat in the evening.

Lifehack #2: Cook fewer different dishes: the more varied the table, the more you will try a variety of foods. The right solution is to prepare light vegetable appetizers on the principle of one appetizer, one salad, and one hot meal.

Lifehack #3: Serve the table with small plates, so you reduce portions as you plate the food.

Lifehack #4: Use less salt and spices, as they stimulate appetite.

Lifehack #5: Drink a glass of water 20–30 minutes before dinner to reduce hunger and improve digestion.

Lifehack #6: Don't drink sugary drinks, as they result in excess calories and can cause bloating and gas.

Lifehack #7: Move more, such as go for a walk, which will burn calories you just ate.

What to do if you get full

The easiest way is to take a walk, which will improve peristalsis and blood flow to the internal organs and allow the gastrointestinal tract to cope with digestion faster.

Immediately after eating, drink warm tea with mint, chamomile, or ginger, which will help digestion. Burp if you need to, as the accumulation of excess air in the stomach or intestines impairs the function of the gastrointestinal tract.

Chewing gum can also help. When you chew, the amount of gastric juice increases, which improves digestion.

Enzyme medications can help, which can be taken with a meal to reduce the burden on the digestive organs and alleviate the symptoms.

Is overeating worth it?

The consequences of overeating can be very unpleasant — heaviness and pain in the stomach, bloating and flatulence, nausea and heartburn, constipation, and diarrhea.

These symptoms may indicate the following problems:

Acute pancreatitis An abundance of fatty foods and alcohol is a bad combination. It provokes the production of large amounts of pancreatic enzymes that damage the pancreas's tissues, which leads to acute pancreatitis.

Increased "bad" cholesterol The most obvious consequence of overeating is impaired fat metabolism, which is reflected in the biochemical blood counts. Fatty caloric foods change the ratio of cholesterol fractions in favor of harmful particles. If the level of "bad" cholesterol has already been exceeded in the body, the person will become unhealthier.

Swelling Increased carbohydrate load for several days in a row negatively affects the work of the pancreas, forcing it to produce large doses of the hormone insulin. This leads to fluid retention and edema in the body.

Gut dysbiosis A culinary ultra-marathon with lots of sugar and fats changes the balance of good and pathogenic bacteria. This threatens inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and flatulence.

Liver colic Large quantities of food and alcohol make the liver work hard. This can provoke liver colic, which immediately shows up with a sharp pain in the right subcostal area. When the outflow of bile produced by the liver is disturbed and the gallbladder continues to perform its function, the pressure in the closed system of the gallbladder and bile ducts increases. The higher the pressure, the more painful it is.

24 December 2021