To answer these questions, I think back to when I was a young girl. In school, I remember seeing in a health book a picture of a young girl churning butter. [If you look in an encyclopedia, you can find a butter churn. You will see how people used to make butter with a butter churner.]

I remember reading the story about the young girl. She was working in the home and was given the job of churning the butter. When she was almost finished with her work, and the butter was getting thicker, the lady of the home came and put in more cream to churn. The girl had to keep on working. Her arms and hands began to get tired from churning the butter.

The Tiring Cycle of Churning

Again when she was almost finished making the butter, the lady brought more cream to add to the churner. The little girl was getting tired. Her arms were aching, and her back began to ache, too. As she continued to churn the butter, she thought to herself, “This time I will soon be finished and then I can sit down and rest awhile.” But the lady of the house brought some more cream to add to the churner again.

This time the little girl began to cry as she worked. Her arms were so tired. Her back was tired, and her legs ached from standing so long. The little girl asked herself, “Oh, why does the lady keep bringing more cream? Why doesn’t she stop and let me finish my job?”

Your Stomach is Like the Churning Girl

Now, our stomach is like that little girl who had to churn butter from the cream. If we eat in between meals, we don’t give our stomach a rest. The stomach becomes tired of working all morning and afternoon. By nighttime, our stomachs are hurting because we are so tired from working all day long. If we give our stomach a rest between meals, it will be hungry and ready for the next meal. When it’s time to eat, the food will taste good.

The Science of Digestion

The stomach gets all the food from a meal and begins digesting it. The stomach mixes the food with digestive juices and body chemicals that break down the food so the body can turn it into energy, heat, and nutrients for your cells. If new food is added to this half-digested mix, digestion slows down. This is not healthy for the body.

Yes, when we are young and our body is strong, we may escape big trouble. However, when we don’t treat our body right, it becomes weaker. Doctors Belloc & Breslow’s study on the seven lifestyle habits that give longer life shows that people who eat between meals usually die younger than people who do not.

The Healthy Solution

It is good to wait four or five hours between each meal. When you do this:

• Your stomach will last longer
• Your whole body will feel better
• You’ll develop healthier eating habits

Be good to your stomach and give it the rest it needs between meals. By doing this simple practice, you can live a healthier, happier, and potentially longer life.