The funny thing about nutritionists…we are a quirky bunch.  For example, when my husband first met me, my kitchen was full of jars of kombucha and mother.  This was almost ten years ago when barely anyone had heard of it.  I’m surprised he didn’t run for the hills.

Let me tell you about two of my healthy habits that come across as weird.

The first strange habit is having dessert first.  I cannot imagine indulging after I’ve eaten a full meal.  To a nutritionist, it’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.  Family, friends and waiters think I’m rebelling when I order dessert first.  Haha, I’m not really.  I have my reasons.

The other odd habit is not having a drink with my meal.  Isn’t it funny how we are expected to have a drink with our meal?  If we don’t, our meal looks and feels incomplete.  My mother in-law still offers me water or juice with my meal.  She hasn’t gotten used to the idea that I won’t drink it.  It’s been almost 10 years!  I swear I’m not depriving myself.  I just want optimal digestion.

Let me explain myself and my little nutritionist quirks.  I’m not a weirdo.

Having dessert first has its health merits.  When my professor said she always has dessert first, we all had a chuckle about her indulgence but she was serious and then it all made sense.  Oh, the clarity!!!

She explained fruit and dessert digest very quickly through our digestive system.  If we have it after our meal, it will start to ferment on top and cause gas.  Even if we have an early nightcap, red wine or alcohol can ferment on top of our meal causing discomfort and gas possibly interrupting a romantic date.  Not cool.

My second point, lay off the water at mealtime.  Drinking water before or during a meal removes the digestive enzymes in your saliva and all the enzymes down the digestive tract.  You really do need enzymes to break down your food.

Unfortunately, this is not where your problems end.  The water or juice dilute your stomach acid so your meal will not be broken down or absorbed optimally.  Leaving you nutrient deficient with excess water weight.  Boo.

The funny thing is we sell loads of digestive enzymes and apple cider vinegar to help with digestion.  For all we know, people could be downing their meals with a gallon of water defeating the purpose of their expensive supplements.  Oh, the horror!

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my water.  You should drink 2 litres of water daily to keep hydrated.  Just don’t go to town on it during your meals.  You could have a sip or two at mealtime.  There’s a time and place for everything.

For example, drink a glass of water before bed and upon rising.  Drink water while working.  Knock yourself out!  Everyone thinks I’m nuts when I say no thanks to water at the dinner table.  Sometimes, I give in and accept it but I rarely drink it.  Honestly, I don’t want anything to do with it but the choice is yours.  You could drown away your meal anytime.

Some people say, oh I need it in case I choke.  Well, that’s a whole other topic my friend.  I could go on for days about this.  I’m having so much fun!  No, really.  This is what I do for fun.  Nerd alert.

Did you learn a new tidbit about digestion today?  Please like if you did.

Do you follow any of these nutritional quirks or do you have any of your own?  Haha, I’d love to hear about it in my comments section.

Thanks and peace out.