Eat well and be happy!

By Dr Heng Kiang Soon, Lecturer, School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic

Since young, I took an interest in the behaviour of snakes and pythons dietary habits. From my observation, pythons are not interested in eating fresh carcasses but only ate live animals. The boa constrictor eventually escaped after keeping it under watch for some time. It was only later on that I heard of the news of a boa constrictor swallowing a scalper alive in a neighbouring village.

Unlike the boa constrictor that can swallow prey many times larger than its stomach capacity, the human stomach can merely hold 1.5 litres of food on average. And that isn’t much considering that we usually eat two to three meals a day.

However, we humans usually want to eat more than what our stomach can actually hold. That imbalance itself often leads to us overeating which leads to both short and long-term consequences for our bodies.?

While we seek balance and coordination in our daily lives, that isn’t usually the case when it comes to eating. Our appetite is based on both physiological and psychological factors and there is a correlation with the nutrient value of the food to a human’s psychological response towards food. The psychological response to food is closely associated to the quality of food consumed.

By understanding the pros and cons of different types of food and how the types of food regulate our appetite, we can achieve a balance and coordination of our mind and body in our dietary intake.

A network of nerves connects the brain with the stomach and the food we consume. Our stomach is stretchable and there are many stretch receptors on the stomach wall. When the stomach is filled with food, the organ itself will stretch and the receptors will be stimulated to follow suit. These receptors will send neural signals to the brain. It will tell the body that it is full. This is what we call satiety.

High fibre foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains will easily make us full and in turn, makes us consume less food. This is the case as fibre isn’t absorbed by the body and doesn’t contribute to any calories. It is water soluble and will expand in the stomach. Conversely, low-fibre foods are less filling on the stomach, so we tend to consume more of them.

Eating in itself is a form of enjoyment. The satisfaction on the tip of the tongue is also a kind of happiness. Even so, eating and drinking often is bad for us and can deprive us of our happiness.

One of the questions I’m often asked is, “Why do I keep eating yet I feel I don’t have enough to eat?”

So my answer to them is how well we eat. Not in terms of its taste but rather how nutritious it is.

Eating the right type of food will drive satisfaction. As long as adequate nutrients are supplied to the cells, the body's desire for food will naturally decrease as the cells have already been nourished.

Going for foods that are fibre-rich and nutrient-dense will prevent us from overeating as it helps to temper our appetite. This is why we should try to minimise our intake of foods which are low in fibre and nutrient-depleted to prevent overeating.

Using the analogy of the boa constrictor, we can remind ourselves to choose high quality food to satisfy our body and mind. And most importantly, to eat freely and happily.

Therefore, the joy of eating does not lie in how much you eat, but in how well you eat.

It is important to eat well. If you eat well, you will achieve happiness and satisfaction. But if you eat poorly, you will feel bored and empty.

This op-ed was first published in Lianhe Zaobao on 1 November 2022 in Chinese, and has been translated into English.