My husband seems to think that it’s better for you to stand while eating …that the food has a straight shot down and digests better. I disagree with him. I think that sitting is preferable. Not only because you eat slower and therefore less, you tend to pay attention to your food more and what’s going into your mouth. {..if my husband is reading this, I have lost him after that line …he’s now only thinking about objects going in and out of my mouth}. On top of that, if standing were indeed better, wouldn’t restaurants be standing only?
This has been running commentary for us on and off at dinner time. But lately, he’s been standing every night {we have a bar but no table, so it allows him to stand easier – but it drives me crazy} I just want to yell RELAX. SIT DOWN. ~ and I usually do.
So today, I decided to do a little research on the subject. And here is what I have found:
* Eat Sitting Down: Source
It’s important to eat sitting down and not standing up so that you can see your food laid out in front of you and become more visually satisfied. Unplanned eating is also much more likely to occur if you are standing up.
* Eat Standing Up: Source
It makes sense to me that by standing up during a meal, an individual might be making use of that wonderful natural force, gravity, to keep the stomach contents in the stomach, while at the same time elongating the esophagus and taking a bit of pressure off of the stomach.
* Eat Sitting Down: Source
Eating disorder clinics often classify eating while standing up as disordered eating. A colleague of mine was monitoring the eating of some patients at a residential clinic, and she was eating standing up. The patients jumped at the chance to call her on it. They had already been taught that it’s better to sit while eating. But why? …read more
{other than the “eating disorder” label the last reference uses, I tend to agree most with that opinion …as it matches much of what I have written above}
* …one more if you’re interested
…Thoughts? Sit down or stand up?
Yaya
I’ve never even heard of eating standing up!
Tina { Luphia Loves... }
i’m too lazy to eat while standing up! 🙂 apart from when i’m grabbing a sandwich while walking (which can’t be good for you)
Sheri
I also have to go with sitting down while eating.
The Alleged Ringleader
I only eat standing up when I’m “grazing”. When I eat a proper meal I’m definitely seated.
Megan
I don’t really ever eat standing up..so i’d say sitting down.
Franco
it makes sense to eat stading up though. mmmm.
proudly says,
thank you soo much. mr. freddy thanked you for the lovely comments.
***
your husband and i shared the same opinion. hmm..but after reading these from diff sources, now, i’m confuse. i think i better go check my science subject.lol!
proudly says,
p.s… i would love to exchange link with you.
http://momfashionworld.blogspot.com/
Chessa!
sitting! for all the reasons you said. it’s better for you to digest it, eat less and more slowly.
Manda
When I first opened this post, I thought your Hubby had a pony tail on top of his head!!! HA. Then I realized it was wall deco in the background 🙂 Love your hair…sponge rollers?
Tracy-Girl
this is so interesting! how funny!
Pequeña capitalista
mm probably eating standing also makes you chat less, that is a pleasure to enjoy more meal
Char
I prefer sitting down so I can enjoy it and be satisfied.
Darrah
I think I’d feel weird eating standing up! Haha.
kelly
i prefer sitting down its just more comfy!
kelly
i prefer sitting down its just more comfy!
...love Maegan
Manda: That’s funny, it totally does look like his hair …this photo is from early 2007 and that was actually the bouquet I used when we eloped and I hung it on the wall to dry it. It took me a minute to figure out what it was ..and then it made me smile ..lol
Miss Eve Bognar
I prefer sitting when I’m eating…also I like to eat with chopsticks…really, I eat much slower (and much less) since I use them. 🙂
Jasmine
I’m definitely on the sit down side. Relaxing helps digestion too. And who really needs a straight shot right into their intestine?? It’ll get there when it gets there. I want to enjoy my food, and I find that difficult to do if I’m standing up.
Erin
I sit down to eat. My husband likes to stand for a little then he will usually sit down.
Penny
It just makes me super uncomfortable if I’m sitting down,eating,and someone else is standing around and eating.It makes it seem as if they are in a hurry or something.It tenses me up immediately.If someone visits me and stands around,I always make them sit down.It just feels more relaxed.
Staci
haha now you can tell him he has a disorder!! lol good stuff!!
Terence Sambo
lol i love to eat standing up most of the time :o)..when i’m in a hurry tho
Pretty Little World
Eating sitting down!!
Also, I think that unless you’re eating while you’re lying down, gravity has equal opportunity with either sitting or standing —
— unless the food is maybe going to your knees or feet?
DaisyChain
Sitting for sure, I’ve always had it drummed in to me that way
A Balancing Act in Heels
I’m with you and everyone else on that! Sitting is definitely better! That’s too funny that you and your hubby debated on that. Mr. B and I debate over random things too!
tanya
my husband does that too! He’s usually standing at the bar in the kitchen “snacking” (AKA eating so many snacks ends up being too full to eat dinner). I ALWAYS yell and say SIT DOWN, RELAX. It makes me anxious when he stands. Sitting down is the way to go 🙂
Milly
I need to sit down…i love to take my time, i eat very slowly and enjoy every bite…the few times i have eaten standing up…i tend to rush, not eat much nor enjoy it…hhhmm the eat less part sounds good..maybe i should stand from now on LOL
drollgirl
dude. STANDING UP!??! that is so funny. kind of like saying it is better to eat while in a car, as you are more efficient that way. WRONG!! but i love it. and i am wondering if your post changed your man’s mind?????
ASSHOLE BOYFRIEND
YOUR right Maegan. I think eating standing up is a sign of mental derangement, your husband might be a little loopy.
Evil Mr. Peppers
I can find ten articles that say eating standing up is way better! So suck it!
ASSHOLE BOYFRIEND
Evil Mr. Peppers is another example of loopiness, he needs to get that checked.
Lump
hahah this is so funny. Well, I eat A LOT faster when I’m standing up. It’s like my food is going to run away or something. But actually, I think I just get tired of standing.
Hanako66
sitting down for sure….it is socially unacceptable to eat standing up in public so he should condition himself at home:)
Maxie
Sometimes I sit…sometimes I stand. It all depends on my mood.
BeeHappy
This is hilarious! I loved this post! I eat sitting though 🙂
Matt Tiemeyer
Thanks, Maegan, for the reference to a post of mine. Your note on my reference to disordered eating reveals the reason I had to make a separate definition for “disordered eating” versus “eating disorders.” I agree; eating while standing is no eating disorder. Eating disorders are eating problems with clinical diagnoses, while disordered eating is more broad. Here’s my definition of disordered eating; that should be clearer.
Holly Courtney
Hi Maegan! I know this post is old but I just came across it. I work at a digestive research foundation so I can say with certainty that standing up will not help your food go down better due to gravity. Your digestive tract uses a mechanism called peristalsis where small sections contract one after another and it produces a sort of ripple effect which pushes your food along. Gravity does not have any effect on this at all. I suppose you could make an argument for standing causing less pressure on your stomach but that would really only make a difference in someone who is severely overweight.
offtoworkigo
I followed the link from today’s post (6-7-11) to this one, and am cracking up. My husband is a stander. I am a sitter. His deal is more the “no time to waste sitting down” argument, but in the end we came to this agreement: stand all you want at breakfast and lunch but sit your butt down with me at dinner. Eating a meal with someone is a friendly thing to do, but standing makes me feel like he thinks “I” am a waste of time. So…at dinner he sits. And at lunch I read fashion mags and home blogs. Works for us.