mashed potatoes, some more turkey,

cranberry sauce, even more turkey? uhhh…

[Turkey walks across screen.]

Still have room for that pie?

For now, unbutton your eating pants,

flop on the couch and let’s learn why

you feel so full after a big meal.

[Reactions intro]

Part of the reason is physical.

Your stomach can stretch to a volume of about

one liter – that’s the size of a burrito.

When you eat a big meal,

you fill your stomach to its limits,

squeezing against your other organs

and making your abdomen feel, well, full.

Your stomach and intestines also

fill with gases as you eat,

adding to that swollen sensation.

Each time you swallow a bit of

air goes along for the ride,

even more if you’re drinking soda or beer.

Inside your stomach, the gas that makes

your drink fizzy fills more space

than the liquid it came in.

Fortunately, your body has a good way

to get rid of excess gas in the stomach:

[burp]

For some people, another uncomfortable

result of a big meal is heartburn.

The stomach produces hydrochloric

acid to break down food.

More food to break down means more acid,

which can irritate the lining of the

stomach and creep into the esophagus,

leading to that burning feeling.

Antacid tablets use bases

(remember the opposite of an acid is a base)

like calcium carbonate to neutralize the acid.

That reaction produces more carbon dioxide,

which can increase that full feeling,

at least until your next burp.

The other part of feeling full is mental.

When you’ve had enough to eat, the

body’s messenger molecules, hormones,

let the brain know its time to stop.

Bro!

Bro!....

It’s time to stop!

When you eat a high-calorie meal, cells

in your intestines secrete a hormone

called peptide tyrosine-tyrosine or PYY.

Not PYT! That’s a Michael Jackson song!

When PYY reaches the brain, it binds

with receptors that give you the feeling

that you’re full, or even a little queasy.

Some hormones react more strongly to meals

heavy in fats, carbohydrates or proteins,

but they all serve the same purpose:

to get you to put down that fork!

So the next time your mom

asks you if you want seconds,

maybe take a minute to listen to

what your body’s trying to tell you.

Or just keep stuffing your face,

I don’t care really.

But don’t be surprised if

you’re not feeling so good after.

One thing you can never get your

fill of is cool chemistry videos.

Click on that subscribe button

to get more every week and

check out our other food videos,

if you can stomach it.

You see what I did there?

Hah?!

Eat well, chemheads!

Happy Holidays!