Temperature and Food. Kind of.

So I'm having a food day. That means I want to eat anything and everything in sight, so today, I will post about food. Its also kind of chilly today, which through some odd connection brought me to the topic of weather and food.

I have heard so many conflicting ideas about what food you should eat when.  A friend's dad once told me that his dietician wanted him to eat less salads and cold foods in the winter to aid his digestion.  As a salad lover, I was appalled. I want to eat salads all times of year! But I guess like most normal humans, I do crave a nice warm stew or soup in the winter-time.

Many quick burn calorie diets tell you that eating cold food/raw food or being cold is supposed to help you burn more calories. My recent google search on this topic today informed me of a lot of different opinions on this idea. I went through a few and actually read the comments on the news articles, blog posts, and yahoo.answers (not always the most reliable sources.) However, in relating this idea to this class, (we had a discussion last week regarding online forums and what people say, what we should believe, and if they should be monitored), it was kind of fun to have all of that in mind and read the very ignorant/seemingly stupid and intelligent/seemingly informed comments. I still do not know what the real answer is. I think it may help you burn more calories, but its pretty much a negligible amount, so crazy diet people just like to latch on to the idea of burning a few more pointless calories.

I think digestion has something to do with a little bit of everything...the ambient temperature (which affects circulation, which aids in digestion...you see where I'm going with this), temperature of your food (cold food is usually raw or less processed than raw food), and food cravings (when its cold you want to be internally and externally warm, and when its hot you don't necessarily want to be hotter). 

But this blog isn't all about what I think so here goes...  

Charters, Smiley, and Strang, (from here on out referred to as the collective CSS) in "The Health and Growth Series: Wise Health Choices," published in 1935, decided that meat should be included less in warm weather and that vegetables, fruits, and less fatty foods should be served.

(I am going to attack this piece-meal (haha, get it? FOOD JOKE) because I am having a hard time finding straight scientific articles and there is A LOT of information on the internet...)

Natural medicine, like homeopathy and acupuncture, have a lot to say on this issue, and according to acumedic.com, climate, humidity, and temperature all affect digestion, including circulation and the nervous system. Cold weather weakens digestion and warm weather causes bloating and water retention. The scientific evidence on this website was minimal.  Go figure.

I also heard an NPR report this summer (sorry I couldn't find the link to the actual broadcast but I hope you can take my word for it) that eating hot (temperature and spice) foods in the heat is often suggested because it helps cool you down by way of perspiration.  Although we already naturally perspire in the heat, eating hot food or spicy food will make you sweat, which will cool you down faster!

In regards to weather and appetite/food consumption:

Almost all the studies say that we DO eat more food in the winter, when the weather is usually colder, however this could be due to a variety of reasons.

• The holidays.  'nuff said.
• There may be an instinctual drive to eat more food when we are cold because food gives us calories, calories keep us warm, so if A-->B and B-->C the silly human assumes that A-->C.
• A lot of people are also forced to be inside and when its cold, and are therefore bored, and eat more.

And now, according to C. Peter Herman and the "Effects of Heat on Appetite"

• When its hot, the body is trying to keep cold, so its working hard and will suppress other bodily processes, such as appetite, which is maybe why people have a diminished appetite in the heat.
• Eating and digestion is a bodily process, requires energy, and produces heat. In the summer, we need less internal heat to make us warm, so we aren't in need if digestion as a heating mechanism, so maybe that is why we experience a decreased appetite.

Finally, though, I found something that might help with the less meat in the summer myth proposed by CSS.  TThe doctors on this site (Everyday Health) are supposed to be reputable and check the facts, but as usual, you can't always believe what you read on the internet.

Some notable points in the Everyday health post...

1. Raw foods are not necessarily harder to digest than cooked foods.  Your digestive tract (unless you have prescribed health problems) will successfully break down most of the food you eat, regardless of its cooking level, although sometimes cooking grants easier access to nutrients and sometimes it can deplete food of nutrients.  Basically, in my book, if you're eating a balanced diet and cooking your food like a normal human being, you should be okay. 
2. Meat and vegetables take about the same time to digest.  Although fat (which meat has more of) can slow digestion, it apparently isn't enough of a problem to not eat meat.

CSS may also suggest not eating meat due to the lack of refrigeration in 1935.  They refer to "ice boxes" and talk about the "electric refrigerator now [being] very common." However, before this new technology (the ice box), having meat around in the summer could have been risky.  Meat, when not refrigerated, is quicker to spoil than other foods and can cause a lot of digestive problems (as referred to in my DyspepsiWHa? post).

A personal opinion from me: eating richer food (meat over veggies) might just make you feel heavier in the summer due to increased fat content and other factors.  I can't say much personally on this, as I never really lose my appetite, ever, even in the heat. 

For this topic, I might just take what CSS say as truth, since this is one of those situations where unfortunately the ancient book won; it took me a frustratingly long amount of time to actually find any semi-reputable information on this topic.  Turns out, there isn't a lot of research on this stuff for humans, and a large majority of whats out there is not reputable stuff, and may be internet sensation articles, personal speculation, or wholesome medicine advice (not that that is bad). But I will keep checking and I will update you if I find anything more.  

No humorous end to this post, I'm feeling quite defeated.