Dr. Maya Roseman explains: Eating while walking – healthy, or disturbing?

As in many situations in nutrition, the answer is less rigid than one might think, and depends on both the type of activity and the personal feeling. During exercise, the body directs more blood and energy to the active muscles. At the same time, the digestive process also requires energy and blood flow towards the digestive system. Studies in exercise physiology show that during intense activity, blood flow to the digestive system can decrease significantly, benefiting the muscles.

This explains why: a heavy meal before or during activity can cause a feeling of heaviness, nausea or discomfort. Some people suffer from stomach pain, heartburn or “food that rises up” when they eat too close to strenuous activity. Therefore, the classic recommendation is to avoid large meals before running, tree training or jumping. But a cottage in the middle of a walk is a completely different situation.

In such a walk, the level of effort is low, the heart rate is moderate, and the blood flow to the digestive system is not significantly cut off as is the case with intense running. Therefore, for most people: a cottage in a small amount will not be heavy, will not harm the quality of walking, and will not “ruin” the training. If there is no feeling of heaviness, gas, nausea or pain – there is no overall nutritional reason to avoid it.

If eating does not interfere, does not cause a feeling of heaviness and does not decrease the desire for activity – there is no reason to “destroy” this habit for him, on the contrary – it is fine for him to continue.

The meaning is this: while walking, digestion starts slowly. By the time the protein breaks down and is absorbed into the blood – the walk is already about to end or has ended. In terms of timing – this is exactly the window of time when the body is “happy to receive” amino acids for muscle repair. That is, a cottage in the middle of the walk can actually become the post-workout protein meal, without feeling like we waited particularly long until we got home.

A very fast walk or a light run: here it depends more on the person. Some will feel good even with a small bite, for others even a small amount can be burdensome. Those who want to try – it is better to start with a really small amount and check how the body reacts.

Intense running, intervals, jumping or tree strength training: in such situations it is better not to stop for cottage cheese or other dairy food in the middle. The chance of discomfort, a “jumping stomach” or nausea is higher, and the body is under stress that is not “friendly” to digestion.

On the other hand, studies on low-medium intensity activity (such as walking) show that a small amount of carbohydrate or protein does not harm the performance, and sometimes contributes to a better feeling of energy and the ability to persist for a long time. The conclusion that emerges from the studies is very consistent with simple logic: the more intense the activity, the less the body “likes” digestion at the same time. The more relaxed the activity, the more flexibility is allowed.

But cottage cheese in a small amount while walking does not fall into the category of a “heavy meal”, and for a person who does not feel discomfort – it is not a special medical or nutritional problem. If it is part of the pleasure, not burdensome, and also provides protein at a good time for the muscle – excellent, let it continue. There is no hard and fast rule that you should not eat in the middle of a walk, and something suits everyone differently.