Some Sound Nutritional Advice:
Drink Your Food, Eat Your Drinks
By John Herlihy
There is an old Asian adage that has always intrigued me: “Drink your food and eat your drinks.” At first hearing, it sounds like a riddle or a playful contradiction. But like many traditional sayings, it carries a wisdom that modern life has largely forgotten.
The first half — drink your food — means simply this: chew your food thoroughly, almost to the point where it becomes a liquid before you swallow. That is what teeth are for. That is what chewing is for. Not to mention savoring the taste, the texture, the aroma, the pleasure of the meal itself. Most of us, however, gulp our food down in a hurry, washing it away with water, soda, tea, or whatever else is at hand. We forget that digestion begins in the mouth, not in the stomach.
And that brings us to the second half — eat your drinks. We tend to take a sip of something and swallow it immediately. But the traditional advice is to swish the liquid around, let it mingle with the saliva, taste it, almost chew it, before swallowing. Think of how one savors a fine wine. The mouth is not just a passageway; it is a chemical laboratory. Enzymes are released. Signals are sent. The body prepares itself for what is coming.
Why does any of this matter? Because the digestive system is a delicate, ingenious, finely tuned process. When we flood the stomach with liquids while eating, we dilute the very acids and enzymes that are trying to break down our food. The body must work harder. The chemistry is disrupted. The nutrients are not absorbed as efficiently. What should be a harmonious internal process becomes a confused one.
Likewise, when we drink too quickly, the mouth never has a chance to do its part. Saliva contains amylase and other enzymes that begin digestion before the food or drink even reaches the stomach. When we “eat our drinks,” we give these natural processes time to awaken and do their work.
This old adage, then, is not just about chewing or sipping. It is about slowing down, paying attention, and respecting the quiet intelligence of the body. It is about remembering that eating is not a race, and drinking is not an afterthought. It is about restoring a small measure of mindfulness to the most basic act of living.
So beware, as the saying might go: Drink your food, but don’t get drunk; eat your drinks — and whatever you do, don’t flunk.
You caused me to remember when I ate for a dollar a day in college. I was in wrestling and trying to keep my weight at 129 pounds. I savered every bite and chewed carefully.
And then, for all the years that I cooked for myself, I sat down with my meal and ate it very slowly. I never drank water like other people had a meal. I sipped coffee with my morning breakfast that I also cherished, whether it be cereal or my favorite, two fried eggs with toast and bacon. For my evening meal, I would relax and sip wine.
Unfortunately, my caregivers are on schedules and tend to feed me too much better food, faster. I have suffered from it and need to slow down and eat less.
Ron