LOSE WEIGHT BY EATING SLOWLY If we rush in eating our meals, our digestion suffers. And it might seem like each meal is over too soon, which often makes us want to eat more. We finish the meal before our natural satiety signals kick in, and we end up feeling bloated. When we eat slowly our body will digest food better. We will also feel more satisfied with each meal. It’s simple: Slow down your eating and enjoy improved health and well-being. We’re a rushed and busy society. Most people eat fast. We rarely take the time to appreciate the flavor and most people don’t even chew food properly. Learning to eat more slowly is one of the simplest yet most powerful things you can do to improve your overall health. SATISFIED OR BLOATED? One of the most important benefits of eating slowly is that it gives your body time to recognize that you’re full. It takes about twenty minutes from the start of a meal for the brain to send out signals of satiety. Most people’s meals don’t even last that long! Imagine the extra calories you could ingest simply because you didn’t allow your body time to register that it no longer required food. Now imagine the effect of those extra calories on your weight. Eating slowly also helps us feel more satisfied — which is different than just being “full”. When you slow down, savor a meal, pay attention to tastes and textures, and appreciate each bite, you leave the table feeling good which is better than feeling bloated! IMPROVED DIGESTION Eating slowly also helps our digestion. Think of digestion as a chain reaction. As soon as we see, smell, or think about food we start salivating to prepare for putting that food in our mouth. Saliva contains enzymes that break the food down, and moistens the mouth for easier swallowing. If we rush this process, we force our GI (Gastrointestinal) tract to deal with stuff before it’s fully prepared. This means that not only are fast eaters putting more food down in a given amount of time, this way the food isn’t as well-processed. Food is essentially landing in fast eaters’ stomachs in big lumps. Digestion starts in the mouth, so large bites that are inadequately chewed will be more difficult for your stomach to turn into chyme (liquid mix of partially digested food, hydrochloric acid, digestive enzymes, and water that passes through the pyloric valve on its way to elimination) Food that isn’t properly broken down into chyme can lead to indigestion and other potential GI problems. Eating slowly helps you to eat less. That’s especially useful information if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight. Eat slowly, drink more water, consume less food, and feel more satisfied! All-around win! Eating slowly may not be a perfect way for weight loss, but it will certainly help you with portion control and greater feelings of satiety. Meanwhile, the research on eating quickly is pretty unanimous: Eating quickly promotes weight gain and makes you feel out of control of your eating habits. Conclusion: Most of us lead hectic, fast-paced lives, so it’s understandable that we might try to rush our meals. But eating quickly does us no favors. When we eat too quickly we end up eating more than we need, which leads to poor digestion, weight gain, and lower satisfaction from eating. Eating slowly, in contrast, makes for better digestion, easier weight maintenance – and much greater satisfaction from our meals. TIPS: • Sit down to eat in a calm environment with minimal distractions. Don’t eat while driving, while watching TV, while texting, etc. Pay attention to your food. • Choose high-fiber foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. • Put down your utensils between bites. Take a moment. Breathe. If you’re eating with other people enjoy a conversation for a few minutes. • Use smaller plates or different utensils (such as chopsticks). • If you find yourself rushing, that’s OK. Put your utensils down and take a minute to re-focus. If slow eating isn’t habitual for you, this will take practice. • Set aside time to eat – at least 20-30 minutes for each meal, and preferably even longer at dinner.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 16:43:59 +0000
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