The world of Tzu Chi January 2021 (Vol.130)

2021 • 01 54 ellness Translated by Chia Wen Fang A Healthy Digestive System BeginsWith Proper Eating Habit O ne day, when I ran into an acquaintance, I asked how he had been doing. Instead of the usual “Not bad” or “Not too well” response, he asked me in return, “Haven’t you been following my Facebook?” I was stunned, but I replied frankly that I used my smartphone only as a tool, which I put away after completing my task. I did not have the habit of scrolling on the phone to check on others’ private life. On hearing my reply, he gave me a stunned expression of “This fellow should be put into a museum” look. When I shared this awkward experience with a good friend, our conversation somehow turned to the increasingly popular eating shows on social media platforms, whereby some hosts even make pretty good money by broadcasting themselves eating. To attract more viewers, they often act out exaggerating stunts, such as chowing down food sloppily, or amplifying the chewing sound using professional recording equipment. Some fans even commented that they found it therapeutic to see the hosts whopping down all the food. I found such phenomenon so hard to believe. I can understand that people have different personalities and habits. For instance, when eating alone, I would have Nat King Cole’s music for company. It had never occurred to me that one could resort to viewing a stranger eating on a video for company to eliminate loneliness, and even get a sense of spiritual fulfilment out of it. I began to realize that I am still living in the food blogging era of the past years, unable to comprehend the new goings-on around me, and feeling worried. What really amazed the viewers and attracted most attentions are the good looks and slim figures of these hosts. People are puzzled as to how they could gulp in humongous amount of food and still able to remain so slim? When my good friend asked me this question, I told him that I haven’t a clue. But, while most viewers admire these hosts’ ability to remain slim despite their big appetite for food, I would think otherwise: Why would we want to torture our digestive system, by stuffing down tens of kilogrammes of food at a time? Why would these people choose to make money by doing something that may promote food wastage? In order for us to have a healthy digestive system, it is vital that we eat properly. Since young, whenever we ate too much or too quickly, adults would remind us, “Don’t gulp down your food, otherwise you’ll suffer from indigestion” or “Eat till you are 70% full is enough, don’t overstuff your stomach.” Chewing down our food slowly is very important. The main function of our teeth is to break down large pieces of food, before passing them through the oesophagus into our stomach, where they are further broken down chemically by gastric juices. Our stomach is a temporary storage for food and also a churner, where food is turned into a fine pulp, before being emptied into the small intestine for further digestion and nutrient absorption. The indigestible fibre content and leftovers then move to the large