At Purdue University, researchers have been studying the effect that a liquid lunch has on our everyday diets. And no, they’re not talking about that kind of liquid lunch. In this case, they’re talking about drinking a significant number of calories in a liquid form on top of eating solid foods. The researchers found out that not only do many people consume more calories during that one meal - as opposed to someone drinking water with his or her food, for instance – but they consume more calories at subsequent meals. Since all study participants reported feeling equally full after lunch, when the drinks (high cal or water) were consumed, researchers concluded that the body doesn’t register liquid calories in quite the same way as it does solid food calories. They also said that their experiment, in contrast to some previously done in this area, took into account the nutritional profiles of the solid and liquid foods the subjects ate (a glass of milk vs. a piece of cheese) to try and keep the study as controlled as possible.
So what does this mean for us? Just that we should pay attention to the things we’re eating throughout the day – especially if we want to have a little room for indulgence with dessert at the end of it – and keep in mind that when it comes to liquids, our stomach might not be a reliable when it comes to a feeling of fullness.
e-Angelica
July 16, 2007Part of this is probably due to the fact that it takes about twenty mintues for your stomach to register “full” — and, as liquids are more quickly ingested than solids, you can consume a larger volume before the fullness hits. A good way my grandmother taught me to help curb overeating is to chew each bite about twenty to thirty times before swallowing.