How Much Food Can Your Stomach Hold?

Phil and I like to go for a long walk in the morning. We have a big glass of water - probably the best way to start your day - and then head down to the ocean.

I used to think that a 'morning constitutional' was a walk, but apparently that's a different kind of movement (i.e. it's a gentleman's way of saying you are going to go have a morning poo). Walks, on the other hand, help wake us up, give us a chance to chat and get our bodies moving. I find by the end of a walk, my stomach is grumbling and ready to find a healthy vegan recipe and make breakfast.

Hunger is something that a lot of people don't feel very often in our society.

I was reminded of the importance of letting yourself feel hunger before eating when I re-read Eating Alive, by Dr. John Matsen. He describes hunger as being digestive energy that isn't being used in digestion. If you allow this energy a bit of time before eating, it will go out into your blood system and have your body clean itself of any toxins or stray bits of excess nutrients (such as fats). This is the theory behind fasting, and why people do that periodically.

You don't need to fast to get the benefits though, and that was what Eating Alive reminded me of. Giving yourself a bit of time, even just 20 minutes, of feeling hungry before you eat will give your body some time to clean itself up. Fasting is a more intense clean, like spring cleaning, and actually spring is a great time to do a fast if that's something you feel comfortable with.

Hunger is also a signal that your body is ready to digest whatever food it is you plan to eat. It almost makes too much sense. The point here is that when you feel hunger, your stomach has cleared the last meal out and has generated enough stomach acid to get on to the next thing. With nothing left in there, the stomach is able to easily produce any enzymes necessary for digestion and can break down more complex foods into their nutrients.

When it's full, your stomach can hold about 4 liters (1 gallon) of food (Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology, by Elaine N. Marieb, pg 473). That's a lot of food! It has a much easier time, however, digesting smaller meals than that. If you think about trying to stir a pot of soup that's filled to the brim you might get an idea of what it would be like. The muscles of your stomach wall break food apart physically, and then pass it on to the small intestine to be broken down chemically.

Since the basis of health is your body being supplied with nutrients, and since the stomach is the first crucial step in putting those nutrients in a form that can get to the various parts of your body, paying attention to your stomach's moods is crucial to health. Wait until your stomach tells you it's time to eat. Since my stomach is growling at me right now, I think it's time to make one of my healthy vegan recipes for breakfast!

My question for you is how soon after you wake up do you eat? And what do you usually eat? Go ahead and let me know below...