Eating time and freshness

[zaida]

When is too late to eat? I remember always being told not to eat neat bed time. What are the thoughts on this? Should you make sure you have at least a couple hours after your meal until bed? Or does digesting in your sleep not matter? Would it be easier to digest while sleeping or harder?

Also what about aging meats. I know chicken isn't aged but for beef, elk, lamb etc should we be getting these meats aged for 30 days or so or is it better to get the meat fresh from the kill? I know my cats don't like aged meats and sometimes my dog can get a bit fussy with really old chicken (if I forgot about it in the fridge for a while ).

[RawZi]

    I had a dog that aged chickens he caught himself, then dug them up and ate them.

    I age chicken and eat it.  You haven't read aajonus' books, right?  There's instructions there for aging whitemeat.

[goodsamaritan]

I find eating my big fatty animal meal around noon time the most optimal.

[Iguana]

Most people are found of aged meat, but many like it fresh as well. It's up to you, how you like it. The fat and the bones marrow are better eaten fresh, before it gets rancid. The flesh can be kept very long hung on a hook in a fridge or in cool and vented cage closed with wire mesh to keep the flies away. It dries with time, and after 1 to 4 months depending on the size of the piece it become hard and difficult to tear apart with the teeth and chew.

Here is what I posted in another thread :

Large pieces of meat can be kept several months hung on hooks in a fridge. The best is to buy a ventilated fridge (expensive) or find an old fridge without automatic defrosting. Frequent defrosting brings a lot of moisture inside, which dampens the meat, impede its drying and jeopardize its conservation. A panacea is to put the meat intermittently for some hours in a ventilated food drier adjusted to ambient temperature. I often do that for about 24 hours before to put my meat in the fridge. Another way to store and age the meat is hung in a box closed with wire mesh so that air can freely circulate all around the meat while flies cannot enter. It works fine outside the house when the temperature is not too warm nor freezing.   

No problem to eat in the evening and digest during your sleep. I normally eat twice a day, lunch and diner - without any breakfast. My meals timing vary somewhat according to my hunger or absence of it. I may eat sometimes a little bit between these meals - but never while sleeping 

Cheers
Francois

[cherimoya_kid]

Re: eating before sleep: I think it depends on the food, how much you eat, and how long before bed that you eat.  I like to waint at least 3 hours before sleeping after I eat my last meal, but that's not absolute.  I find that it helps to go for a moderate walk after I eat. 

[PaleoPhil]

I don't find it necessary to leave time after eating before going to bed any more (I used to when I ate modern foods and had GERD). I have gone right to bed after eating without problems, though it's not optimal. I also don't need a walk after I eat or feel stuffed or anything.

Interesting related story today. At a workplace BBQ, I was the only one who only ate meat and water, and everyone else said how stuffed they were and how they wished they could go home and sleep (they ate pasta salads, corn, chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake and soda pop with their meat). In contrast, I did not feel stuffed at all--just pleasantly full--and I said, "That was a nice snack," after I ate about twice the weight of food as everyone else. 

[invisible]

I prefer to sleep on an empty or light stomach. I believe its better. Sleep is when repair and rejuvenation takes place. Digestion disrupts this process.

[Raw Kyle]

I don't think raw meat puts any strain on the system that would be a problem for sleep. I tend to skip breakfast almost always, and as long as I don't eat a lot of carbs the day before it's fine. If I do I tend to get that carb drop feeling sometime in the morning, where you all of a sudden notice your stomach is gargling and you feel almost sick with hunger.

[nuclearember]

Don't many animals sleep after eating? I know my dog and cats do...

Also, the parasympathetic nervous system (homeostasis and rejuvenation) kicks in when you're relaxed (including sleeping) and it facilitates digestion. The sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) impedes digestion. This is why eating before exercise is contraindicated, while eating before a massage is healthy. Many of my clients stomach's start grumbling during a massage ... a sign of relaxation and ideal digestion conditions. Wouldn't sleep be similar?

[DeadRamones]

When is too late to eat? I remember always being told not to eat neat bed time. What are the thoughts on this? Should you make sure you have at least a couple hours after your meal until bed? Or does digesting in your sleep not matter? Would it be easier to digest while sleeping or harder?

It's really just a personal thing. Most people can't handle going to sleep with food still digesting in their stomaches & then skipping breakfast.

[Raw in Florida]

I stop eating after dinner but usaully eat 1 raw egg an hour before bed. Sometimes I wash it down with a small glass of milk. This usaully helps me sleep well.