When too much food is just too much
We know we鈥檙e going to feel sick, and probably guilty, after that third helping of dessert. But we do it anyway, because food is so delicious. Our brains release dopamine when we eat something we enjoy. This is a chemical that governs our brain鈥檚 reward and pleasure centres; it makes us happy.
Our brains can be fickle, too. Often the reward from a particular taste can get old, and that food stops triggering the same level of pleasure in the brain. We feel the need for a new sensation鈥攁 need that鈥檚 usually pretty easily fulfilled at Christmas dinner. We may move from the seafood entr茅e to the baked ham, then on to the potato salad, then to the chicken, and finally鈥攁 whole new ball game鈥攖he dessert. End result: our stomachs are really full.
In some cases the kind of food we鈥檙e eating can make us want more of it. Some food types stimulate a stronger salivary response鈥攁s we eat, our salivary glands produce saliva, which helps to spread the flavour of the food throughout our mouth and over our tastebuds. Certain foods, emulsified ones like butter, chocolate and mayonnaise, as well as sauces and glazes, encourage this response, which makes our brain happy鈥攁nd makes us want to eat more of it.
Another factor which can contribute to the Christmas dinner feeling is the social aspect of the event. that people eating in groups are often influenced by the eating behaviours of their companions. Apparently, when eating with an expressive and exuberant person, some people are 鈥攂e it a small or large serving.
It鈥檚 important to remember eating a lot (and even to excess) on special occasions, like Christmas, is very different to constant overeating on a daily basis. Continued overindulgence is definitely not good for you.
So, how best to avoid that uncomfortable oh-no-I鈥檝e-done-it-again-when-will-I-ever-learn feeling of having eaten too much? Go slowly, and listen to your body. And if you have over-eaten, don鈥檛 just sit around wallowing in a 鈥榝ood coma鈥�. A walk around the block will help your digestive system process all that food. And a tip: that nice chemical dopamine, the one that makes our brain happy? It鈥檚 also released by exercise, making that walk a doubly good option!