“Full stomach, happy heart” is a popular Mexican phrase that many of us will probably agree with. Working on the dairy while you’re hungry is unpleasant, exhausting and stressful.

Current research is being conducted to uncover the extent to which feeling hungry will keep a person from performing at his or her best.
                               

Studies are being conducted that focus entirely on the signals sent from the stomach to the brain and how these signals influence memory, learning, decision-making and feelings of sadness or stress.

Milk can help prevent employees from getting hungry during the workday and help them stay focused and positive so that they perform at their very best.

Scientists have begun to look at the stomach and its role in cognition and awareness. The stomach has direct connections to specific centers of the brain which create a direct flow to the brain centers involved with problem-solving, reasoning, learning and behavior.

It is not fully understood, but so far scientists suggest that the stomach functions as a kind of second brain. The signals from the stomach to the brain are technically known as the enteric nervous system.

Feeling hungry will keep us from being alert around machinery, calm around cows and co-workers and focusing on work protocols. At the dairy, we usually eat when food and time are available rather than when we are hungry.

Unfortunately, it is not practical to carry a lunch box around. A bottle of milk would be more practical and effective in preventing ongoing hunger.

Research has shown that protein in milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt increase satiety. Satiety is the opposite of hunger; it is the absence of hunger and the sensation of feeling full.

Studies show that increasing protein intake will increase satiety compared to a low-protein diet. Studies have also shown that both casein (80 percent of milk protein) and whey protein (20 percent of milk protein) increase satiety.

A wise approach is to not tolerate high levels of hunger. What’s important to remember here is that by preventing hunger, your good-quality work and upbeat mood will be sustained throughout the entire day.

I suggest you give milk a try. It will be fast and effective to swing through the lunch room and drink a bottle of milk. What you perceive when you are not hungry will be quite different than what you perceive when you are.

The bottom line is that our stomach and our brain are connected in ways that we are only beginning to understand. Be wise and respect your body. Your body will be deeply satisfied with the quality of the milk proteins. The food we work so hard for can now return the favor to us and may even lead to unexpected work and personal success.  EL

Antonio recently worked as a feed manager on a California dairy. He is currently a member in Class 7 of The Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute. To learn more about this program visit http://www.holsteinfoundation.org