Have you ever found yourself drinking, chewing, or nibbling something in the toilet at some point in your life? Eating while sitting on the toilet is a weird behavior that raises many questions revolving around the appropriateness of the action.
The answer to these questions depends on who you ask. Some people believe that eating while sitting on the commode is unorthodox at best and unhygienic at worst. But other factions think that nibbling while sitting on the toilet is justifiable under certain circumstances.
Is Eating While Sitting on the Toilet Justifiable?
People cite different reasons for eating while sitting on the toilet. One such reason is the need to save time. If you have ever found yourself late for work, you know that taking time to eat can mean the difference between punctuality and lateness.
Individuals also eat while sitting on the toilet because of hunger pangs. After a long day’s work, some people find it difficult to wait until they finish their business in the commode to eat. They believe that nibbling on a snack distracts them from their hunger before eating a full meal.
However, some people eat while sitting on the toilet for fun. Unfortunately, such individuals create a long-term habit of always eating something every time they visit the bathroom. Therefore, you should avoid taking up the behavior to avoid turning it into a dangerous habit.
Lastly, social media users eat and drink while sitting on the toilet seat to trend. If you are a keen social media user, you have probably seen viral videos of individuals sitting on the toilet facing backward while eating. Such videos often draw mixed reactions among social media users.
What Kinds of Foods Do People Eat on the Toilet?
Eating while sitting on your toilet is not the same as eating at a dining table. The toilet environment requires you to multitask, and any wrong move could lead you to drop your snack. Eating foods that require holding with both hands imperils your ability to carry out other tasks, including flushing the toilet.
Most people prefer to eat products or foods they can hold with one hand. Here is a list of foods you can eat while holding with one hand:
- Chocolate bars
- Apples
- Biscuits
- Cookies
- Cupcakes
What Kinds of Drinks Do People Take While Using the Toilet?
If you have no problem eating while sitting on the toilet seat, you probably believe it is okay to sip your drink in similar settings. Most people who drink while sitting on the toilet have choice drinks. Their preferred drinks include those that cannot spill easily.
It is worth noting that toilet users prefer to take bottled drinks for easy handling. Here are some drinks individuals take while sitting on the toilet:
- Bottled soda
- Beer
- Coffee Yoghurt
- Energy drinks
Why You Should Avoid Eating While Sitting On The Toilet
Whether you are using a public or private toilet, you should avoid eating in the toilet setting as much as possible. The act is simply gross and unbecoming. Additionally, you have to put up with a foul smell while eating or drinking.
You should also avoid eating while sitting on a toilet seat because it is unhygienic. Various surfaces, including door handles, flushing lever, and the toilet seat, are often teeming with pathogens. If you touch any surfaces and then touch your food, you can easily contract an infection.
Eating or drinking while sitting on the toilet also exposes you to the risk of ingesting the worms found in poop. Remember that multitasking in the toilet environment is a tricky juggling act. You risk contracting an infection if you accidentally touch your poop and subsequently touch your food. For instance, roundworms heighten the risk of getting ascariasis.
Additionally, eating in the toilet setting is not a good idea because it may distract you. On most occasions, you need to set your mind to the task at hand to complete a bowel movement in record time. Chewing, drinking, or nibbling at something often divides your attention, hindering you from achieving a bowel movement faster.
Common Excuses for Eating in the Toilet Setting
Whether you believe eating while sitting on the toilet seat is right or wrong, certain situations justify doing so. If you do not have enough time to eat, your only choice might be to eat while in the toilet. Eating while sitting on the commode allows you to kill two birds with one stone.
Extreme hunger could also prompt you to eat while sitting on the toilet. Even though you might find it gross at first, you must admit that your stomach’s growling sounds are difficult to ignore. Eating a snack while sitting on the toilet seat could help you alleviate your hunger in the short term.
Most children and adolescents often eat while sitting on the toilet as part of their rebellious streak. Notably, eating in the toilet environment allows them to avoid crossing paths with their parents when they are under punishment. The setting offers them a private environment to indulge in cheeky behavior.
Teenagers also eat while sitting on the toilet seat to avoid their nosy siblings. The toilet environment enables them to eat without sharing with their siblings or peers. Teenagers may also choose to eat while sitting on a toilet to avoid adhering to a prescribed diet.
Bottom Line
Eating while sitting on the toilet presents an ethical dilemma to toilet users. People who believe that it is okay to eat in the toilet setting cite the need to save time. Ideally, eating in the toilet environment allows you to multitask and get to work on time. However, some individuals consider eating while sitting on the toilet seat gross and inappropriate.
If you have ever eaten in the toilet, you know that you have to contend with the foul smell of poop as you eat. Moreover, eating in the bathroom is unhygienic and exposes you to various pathogens. So, you should avoid eating or drinking while sitting on the toilet seat as much as possible.