Digestion

You know at Thanksgiving or Christmas when you very literally have to take a nap because your body is working SO EXTRA HARD to digest the meal you just had?

Imagine if your body reacted in that way after every single meal. No, after every single snack. It takes time and energy and forces you to take a nap or, at the very least, lie down. Just lying there... as your body steals all of your energy just to digest food.
Now imagine that digestion being painful on top of it. Feeling every instance of peristalsis, every movement, every tiny piece of food, seed, grain, kernel, as it moves through your system. Agonizing. Slow. But entirely necessary.

That's one reason why physicians and nutritionists usually recommend smaller, more frequent meals for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The cramps are still present, but more food = more pain. Smaller bites, smaller amounts of food, help to reduce the time and energy required for digestion.

It still surprises me sometimes how a snack can force me to lie down for hours until it passes through my system - especially if I have unwittingly eaten something I shouldn't have.

Welcome to Crohn's Disease.
Like Thanksgiving every day - without the delicious meal beforehand.