Did you know that eating slower can help you lose weight? So, see this and other reasons to eat slowly and chew your food well.
Eating too fast and not chewing food properly can make it harder to lose weight – or worse, eating fast can promote weight gain.
In addition, this bad habit can cause several health problems, such as obesity itself and its complications. So, learn the benefits of eating slower and how to train for it.
Reasons To Eat Slowly
In addition to helping you lose weight, eating slower can have many benefits. Check out why it can be a good idea to eat without a rush.
It Can Help You Lose Weight
Just eating slower does not result in weight loss, but its effects can help with weight loss. By chewing your food well, you’ll likely feel full sooner.
As a result, you will be eating less and taking in fewer calories than you used to.
Improves Digestion
One of the most significant benefits of eating slowly is having a healthier digestive process. The stomach has more time to process the food by chewing more slowly.
Also, the stomach doesn’t get full all at once. Thus, symptoms such as indigestion and acid reflux are significantly reduced.
Finally, better digestion also facilitates the work of the intestine, which manages to make an optimal absorption of nutrients.
Increases Satiety
According to a study published in 2016 in the journal Cell Metabolism, it takes the stomach about 20 minutes to produce the hormones that tell the brain that you’re full.
When you eat more slowly, your feeling of fullness should set in before you’ve overeaten.
Improves The Taste Of Food
Another reason to eat slowly that many people forget about is that they enjoy food more. Sometimes we eat so fast that we don’t even notice the taste of the food.
By eating more slowly and watching what you are eating, you can enjoy your meal better.
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Tips For Chewing Well And Eating Slower
At first, it can be challenging to get into chewing your food better and eating more slowly. So here are some tips that can help you:
Don’t Be Starving
Avoid getting too hungry, as this can make you want to eat too quickly. The best thing is to eat more frequent and healthy meals to avoid getting desperate for the next dinner.
Stay Away From Screens
Leave your cell phone and television aside. Often, distractions take your focus off food, and you chew and swallow without even realizing what you’re doing.
So doing this exercise of paying attention to your plate can help you notice food and eat more slowly.
Set A 20-Minute Timer
Whoever thinks that eating slowly means having lunch for 1 hour is wrong. Just focus on 20 minutes of mindful eating.
Set a timer or stopwatch to beep for 20 minutes to do this. The goal here is to make an effort not to finish all the food before the warning rings.
Drink Water
You can take a few sips of water during your meal to delay your chewing a little longer. That way, you’ll find it easier to eat more slowly.
Be Patient
Lastly, be patient with yourself. Any habit change takes time. Even if you have difficulty chewing slower in everyday life, keep trying and focusing on your goal.
Gradually, eating slowly will come naturally to you. And you will be able to reap all the benefits of having put in the effort. Finally, chewing slower is one of the tips in a food reeducation program.
Feeling Of Satiety
The habit of eating slowly will allow the taste of food to be perceived more easily, confirming satisfaction and satiety in the brain. At the same time, this practice will help reduce the addiction to artificial flavors and the consumption of processed foods.
Improves Digestion
Our digestion begins with the mouth when we ingest the food, and then we must chew it slowly and well. At this time, signals are sent to the digestive system, and the enzymes begin to work. Organs start to release substances that will aid digestion and absorption of food. The brain will process these activities and so many other reactions in parallel. If we chew too fast, all these steps can be harmed.
Increase In The Taste Of Food
Mealtime can be a moment of pleasure. You will choose the food according to your preference, chew slowly to get a good taste, and finish satisfied. By eating slowly, the need to repeat the dish decreases. Salad, for example, is a light and healthy option for an entree.
Therefore, as important as choosing what will compose your dish is how you will consume that dish. Chew slowly, feeling the texture, flavor, and characteristics of the food, enjoying the moment and the pleasure of making that meal!
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