Excess weight is known to lead to the habit of overeating, so nutritionists often advise against eating large portions of food. But how can you determine which amount of food is normal, and which is excessive?
Anatomy teaches that the volume of an empty human stomach is 500 ml. According to doctors, the stomach can be stretched to the volume of 1 liter – it is quite normal, and physiology allows such a stretch. In other words, at one meal you can safely afford the amount of food ranging from 500 ml to 1 liter, including water. For example, such dishes as a bowl of soup, a piece of meat about the size of your palm, plus a handful of salad, 3 apples or an apple and a plate of porridge will “comfortably fit” in this volume. But if there is any drink, for example, a glass of juice, it is necessary to reduce the amount of food in accordance with the volume of the liquid. Within two hours at maximum, the eaten food will be delivered to the intestine. The stomach then needs another couple of hours for a “reset”, and then you can sit down at the table again. Thus, it looks like the best way to eat is every 4 hours in small portions, up to 1 liter.
If you break this rule, then the stomach, which may admit even 4 liters of food, will put pressure on adjacent organs. In addition, it will get used to its stretched state. Being stretched, it will “require” filling all the volume that is empty. This situation is particularly dangerous for women. There are studies showing that the brain of a woman is not able to suppress hunger, so women find it incredibly difficult to control appetite. Following the needs of their stretched stomach, they become victims of a rapidly emerging tendency to overeat.
