These days, many of us are flooded with advice on what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat.
Alongside this calorie and nutrient-based advice you may even have heard you should avoid eating while standing up or lying down, as was common in ancient Greece and Rome.
It may seem to make sense, but how much scientific evidence is there to back this advice?
If we consider these three eating positions: lying down, sitting and standing, what challenges do they present the body with and which should we choose as our standard eating position?
The first of these positions, eating lying down, was fashionable in the various ancient civilisations.
This may not solely have been through laziness or a show of wealth and power – as some researchers have suggested, lying down on your left side reduces the pressure on the antrum or lower portion of the stomach, thus relieving discomfort during a feast.
As few of us truly feast nowadays – at least in the Roman style – this might not be so important.
There is some evidence that we absorb carbohydrates at a slower rate when eating lying down compared with sitting, and this is probably due to the rate of gastric emptying. Slower absorption of carbohydrates is generally considered to be healthy as it avoids large spikes in insulin.
Alternatively, eating lying down may increase the risk of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The American College of Gastroenterology advises avoiding lying down for two hours after eating, which would suggest that eating lying down itself is probably unwise.
Sitting versus standing – the pros and cons
When it comes to eating our meals, it seems that sitting down might be the preferable choice.
People might be more likely to take their time over a meal if seated, although this has not been seriously studied.
As for eating while standing up, there is no real evidence that it has any negative effects on digestion, and it isn’t included on any lists of prohibited activity by healthcare professionals, although standing during eating does have the benefit of promoting more energy expenditure.
So is it better to eat sitting, standing or lying down?
While there is not enough scientific evidence to confidently state that eating in either position is more appropriate, it’s likely that as long as you take your time and eat mindfully, either standing or sitting to eat your meals should be absolutely fine and a healthier alternative to eating lying down.
Brown is a lecturer in Biology and Biomedical Science, Aston University.
This article first appeared in The Conversation.