Q: My mom says I am always sick because of my eating habits. I think what I eat is healthy. So, could she be right about my eating habits making me feel sick?

A: Moms are always right. Eating habits are even more important than what you eat. Bad eating habits include: eating on the run, eating too quickly without chewing your food, doing multiple tasks while trying to eat, eating too little or not at all, waiting until evening to eat a big meal and many others.

A bad habit, I alert my patients about is drinking too many fluids during meals. Excess fluid while eating dilutes your digestive enzymes not allowing your digestive tract to break down the food completely. Small sips are more advisable to create the breakdown of the food in the mouth and stomach.

Symptoms of poor eating habits include indigestion, flatulence (gas), aggravation of stomach and duodenal ulcers, aggravation of some hiatal hernias, diarrhea, and constipation. Additionally, poor eating habits also cause lost nutrients because the body either doesn’t receive adequate nutrition or it does not have time to prepare the food for the maximum nutrient absorption.

If you only snack or completely skip a meal, you will probably notice later your body’s reaction to your transgression. Symptoms resulting from meal skipping include the obvious stomach rumblings, headaches, weakness, light-headedness, and fatigue. Improper diet may also lead to the slowed healing of injuries.

A poor diet may not provide the vitamins and minerals needed for healing.

Make eating a reverent experience. Savor each bite, relax, and enjoy the food. Allow each swallow to move completely into the stomach before taking another bite or drinking anything. Create a cycle of chewing and swallowing rather than continuous line of swallowing.

Quote of the week: "He who has peace of mind disturbs neither himself nor