Standing, sitting, and lying down
while eating has all had their moments in the spotlight.
For example, in ancient Rome and Greece, eating while lying down
was very popular. Since then, eating while seated has become the preferred
posture.
Some people have recently begun standing while eating to save time
or help counter a sedentary office job. On the other hand, others believe that
standing while eating is bad for digestion and can lead to overeating.
The effects of eating while standing up are investigated in this
article and whether it is harmful.
Your Posture's Effect on Digestion
Your eating posture can have an impact on your ability to digest
food.
When a person is sitting or lying down, food empties from the
stomach more slowly than when they are standing. The exact reasons why are not
entirely known, but gravity seems to play a role.
According to one study, women who sat or lay down immediately
after a meal digested at various speeds. Compared to those who sat, women who
lay down took about 22 minutes longer to digest their food.
After a sit-down meal, another study compared digestion speeds in
people who lay down, sat, stood, or moved around.
Compared to the other three groups, those who lay down after
eating took 54–102 percent longer to digest their food. Those who stood up and
moved around, on the other hand, digested their food the fastest.
The researchers also directly compared the effects of standing and
sitting after a meal. Those who stood digested their food a little faster than
those who sat. The five-minute difference, however, was too insignificant to be
considered significant.
No studies comparing the digestion speeds of people who sat or
stood while eating could be found.
However, because the sit-down meals in the previous studies were
frequently consumed quickly, similar food digestion times for standing could be
expected.
Standing May Lead You to Overeat
Some people believe that standing instead of sitting while eating
can help you lose more weight. On the other hand, the opposite may be true.
Even though standing up may burn around 50 more calories per hour
than sitting, this is not necessarily enough to make a difference over time.
This is because most people eat their meals quickly. In the
best-case scenario, eating a meal while standing up can help you burn an
additional 12–25 calories.
Sitting down for a meal, on the other hand, is more likely to slow
down your eating, potentially reducing the number of calories you consume even
more.
Several studies have found that eating more slowly reduces
appetite and increases feelings of fullness, which can help you consume fewer
calories during a meal. You may eat 88 fewer calories per meal as a result of
this.
Sitting down for a meal may also help the brain register that
you've had a "real meal," lowering your chances of overeating at the
next meal.
It May Leaves You Feeling Hungry
Your body can tell whether you're hungry or complete in several
ways.
One of them is sensing the amount of food in the stomach. The
amount of trying to stretch your stomach does after a meal can tell your brain
if you've eaten enough.
The longer your stomach stretches and remains complete, the less
hungry you'll be. That's why foods that are quickly digested, like processed
carbs, make you feel more hungry than foods that take longer to digest, like
fiber and protein.
Although there isn't much difference in the speed of digestion
between eating while sitting or standing, the difference does become
significant when you factor in movement.
When you keep moving around immediately after eating, your stomach
empties, and your gut digests food up to 30% faster.
Faster stomach emptying has been linked to increased hunger after
a meal in studies. As a result, those who stand and walk while eating may feel
more hungry afterward than those who stand or sit.
It May Help Reduce Reflux and Heartburn
When the stomach contents back up into the esophagus, this is
known as gastric reflux. This can lead to a burning feeling in the middle of
the chest, commonly recognized as heartburn.
Those with reflux are often advised to stand upright and avoid
reclining or slouching while eating and for several hours after a meal.
This is because reclining or slouching increases stomach pressure,
increasing the likelihood of food being pushed back up into the esophagus.
When there is too much food in the stomach, reflux is more likely
to occur. This puts pressure on the valve that separates the esophagus and the
stomach, increasing the chances of stomach contents returning up the esophagus.
Interestingly, eating while sitting upright or standing up can
reduce pressure in the stomach, reducing the likelihood of reflux.
Furthermore, eating while standing and moving around, such as
during a walking meal, may aid in the quicker exit of food from the stomach,
reducing the risk of reflux and heartburn.
It May Cause Bloating
In some cases, eating while standing may prevent proper digestion.
Undigested carbs can cause gas and bloat in anyone. Those who are
lactose intolerant or sensitive to FODMAPs, on the other hand, are more likely
to experience such discomforts. Foods high in fructose, monosaccharides, and
polyols (FODMAPs) can cause gas.
People who eat quickly or walk around during or after eating
digest their food up to 30% faster. This may make poor carb digestion, gas, and
bloating more likely.
Eating While Sitting Down May Promote Mindfulness
Mindfulness should be an essential part of every meal.
According to research, practicing mindfulness during meals can
help you enjoy your food more and reduce your risk of overeating.
Mindful eating necessitates focusing all of your senses on the act
of eating. This goes hand in hand with eating more slowly and admiring your
food.
Just because you're standing up doesn't mean you can't be mindful
while eating. However, eating quickly while standing at the counter can make
mindful eating more complicated between meetings.
If you find that you eat this way while standing, it might be a
good idea to sit down and try to enjoy your meal slowly, away from your phone,
computer, television, and other distractions.
The Bottom Line
When you eat while standing, you're more likely to overeat, get
hungry faster, and feel bloated and gassy.
However, there is little evidence to back up the claim that eating
while standing is unhealthy. Eating while standing up may be beneficial for
reducing reflux and heartburn.
That isn't to say that eating while standing is always beneficial
to eat in a good seating position.
It doesn't seem to matter whether you eat sitting or standing as
long as you can slow down and eat mindfully.
This is partly because standing while eating can cause some people
to eat more quickly. This could result in more air being swallowed during a
meal, exacerbating gas and bloating.
Furthermore, the more upright your body is the faster your
digestion.
Faster digestion can be problematic because it allows nutrients to
contact the gut wall for a shorter period, making it more difficult for the
body to absorb them.
When carbohydrates are not adequately digested, they ferment in
the intestine, causing gas and bloating.
Undigested carbs can cause gas and bloat in anyone. Those who are
lactose intolerant or sensitive to FODMAPs, on the other hand, are more likely
to experience such discomforts. Foods high in fructose, monosaccharides, and
polyols (FODMAPs) can cause gas.
People who eat quickly or walk around during or after eating digest their food up to 30% faster. This may make poor carb digestion, gas, and bloating more likely.