Weight Loss Tip: Chew Your Food and Eat Slowly
Today we live in such a fast-paced culture that even our eating is done at rapid rates. We eat often on the go, in the car, while waiting in line, or in a meeting. While it has been known for some time that eating too quickly puts tremendous strain on the digestive system, are you really eating as slowly as recommended? One study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reminds us of how eating slowly can be an extremely simple weight-loss solution.
Feeling Full
When we hurry through our meal, our body has precious little time to release hormones that help make us feel full. Without that feeling of satiety, we are much more likely to overeat. When scientists gave a dish of ice cream to a study group that took 30 minutes to consume the treat and also to a group that took 5 minutes, it was discovered that those that ate quickly released far less of the “feeling full” compound than those who took 30 minutes to eat. This of course leads to the consumption of even more food, or in this case, probably ice cream.
Participants’ hormonal levels and insulin levels were measured before, during, and after eating. With the slower eating group, individuals saw an increase in glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY – two hormones that signal the feeling of fullness.
To add to the relationship between eating speed and weight, another study found that eating more slowly results in 10% fewer calories being consumed.
It appears as though rushing thorough ones meal actually causes weight gain. This fact has tremendous implications on our society where we rarely make time for a relaxed meal. Even taking as little as 30 minutes to enjoy a meal seems to be long enough to allow hormones to kick in and the body to respond, alleviating excessive overeating.
Other Solutions
There truly are countless ways to lose weight, with many of the tips and ‘tricks’ being basics. Eating slowly is just one basic weight-loss tip to utilize. For easy weight loss, you could also:
- Stop drinking soda
- Exercise
- Eat more of these 7 foods for weight loss
- Drink green tea
- Drink more water
- Add more spicy foods to your diet
- Perform multiple body cleanses
Additional Sources:
great tips on weight loss… although i have heard that proper food mastications definitely helps to digest and distribute nutrients to our body. having a healthy and balanced lifestyle is also the best way to keep your weight at bay.
Eating slowly is not only a good trick for weight loss, but it's also a way to savor your food, rather than just scarf it down. It's a good practice in mindfulness, can ease digestion, and could even be a personal statement against fast food culture. Eating slowly is however a habit that needs to be acquired and practiced, not a simple decision.
Eating Slowly may help you prevent overeating; that is a very good reason to acquire the habit. Set aside time to eat. For many of us, eating is just a means to an end, to be over with as quickly and as conveniently as possible. It's not uncommon to multitask, eating while we talk, watch TV, do homework, and even drive. So try to designate a block of time to eat, and only eat.
Linda — VLCNW Student