Ok I know how it gets, you nibble on this and that throughout the day so that you can save up your appetite for that kick-ass dinner at the new hot spot restaurant. Come 6 hours later, you are ravishing everything on your plate and barely giving yourself time to gasp for air in between bites.
Or let’s say that you have long periods of time in between meals – maybe you are super busy throughout the day and don’t even think about what you will put in your stomach next. Breakfast lunch and dinner comes and goes in about 2.5 minutes, and you don’t even realize that you ate a foot long sandwich with a bag of chips, because you were too hungry to walk one more block to Panera to get a salad.
Slooooow things down a bit hungry people, the food isn’t going anywhere and you can actually be hurting your metabolism and waistline by rushing through your meal. Want to know how you can actually accelerate and maintain weight loss by taking the time to savor and cherish every bite? Well let me tell ya.
1: Better Digestion: You should be counting to 15 when chewing each bite. Why? Because when you are breaking the food down in your mouth first, the enzymes in your stomach can do a better job at breaking down what is left. This leads to better digestion, which leads to more toxic output..or ‘bathroom breaks’ – wink wink.
2: More Satisfaction: When you take the time to focus on what you’re eating, it will lead to more satisfaction and less cravings. Really center your mind on the flavors that you experience. After your meal, you will be more satisfied because you actually tasted what you were eating instead of by-passing that sensation to fill up your stomach.
3: You End Up Eating Less: When you eat slower, you naturally end up eating less because you give your brain the time to tell your stomach that it is full. If you rush through a meal, you can end up over-eating and then suddenly you feel overly stuffed. That is never a good feeling!
4: Increased Mindful Eating: When you focus on what you’re eating, and centering that time around the flavors and the experience of eating, you will end up making healthier choices. Take some time to actually consider what you are ingesting, and if you are eating something processed, think of the chemicals and added fillers that you are putting inside your body as you chew. With natural foods, know that with every bite comes nutrients and illness prevention of some sort.
So, as you start your day with breakfast or lunch and end with dinner, take some time to slow down and enjoy, process, and think about what you are eating. Meals should be a ritual for keeping your body and mind healthy, and your internal system will thank you for it!
One last thing:
Here are some studies that prove eating slower has awesome benefits:
Endocrine.org
02 comments on “Eat Slower – It Helps With Weight Loss”