A Leisurely Lifestyle Change For Better Glucose Tolerance, Weight Loss

Something we don’t usually think about is how fast or slow we eat, but new research indicates eating slowly reduces our risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Slow eating also allows us to savor our food, avoid indigestion, lose weight, and get greater nutritional benefit from our meals.

Better Nourishment

It’s a bit of a paradox that humans generally love to eat yet many of us gobble our food so fast, and so mindlessly we barely taste it. This deprives us of the very culinary pleasure we seek, and burdens our digestive system.

Chewing, after all, starts the process of breaking down foods, and doing it slowly gives our salivary enzymes more time to work their digestive magic. This lightens the workload for the rest of our gastrointestinal tract.

We absorb more nutrients from foods we chew thoroughly as well. In a study where participants chewed almonds either 10, 25, or 40 times per bite, those that chewed the least benefitted the least from the almonds’ nutrients. Fragments of the poorly chewed almonds simply passed through the hasty eaters, and were eliminated.

Chew More, Weigh Less

Beside aiding digestion and nourishment, slow eating can help with weight issues. Those who are slender chew their food more thoroughly compared to obese individuals who tend to chew and swallow quickly. This comparison may reflect the lack of time hormones have to communicate among themselves - and with the brain - when people eat fast.

Feeling full because the stomach stretches is only partly why we experience satisfaction after a meal. Our brain is a player in the satisfaction process, and to play it needs the signals sent from gastrointestinal hormones.

For instance, the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) is released by the intestines in response to partially digested food, and fat cells produce the hormone leptin. Apparently, leptin enhances CCK signals, increasing a person’s feeling of fullness. Leptin may also communicate with the brain neurotransmitter dopamine to create the sensation of pleasure following a meal.

Studies show that eating slowly so our brain and hormones have time to message each other can reduce the food we eat by nearly 15 percent. That translates into substantial weight loss for those who slow down and chew more.

Slowing Down

To slow down and chew more we first we need to determine how many times we typically chew a bite of food, especially denser items such as almonds, or meat. We can then consciously chew more times per mouthful. Starting small, about five to seven extra chews per bite, and gradually increasing the number will work best for most people.

Another option is to count how many bites of food we typically take per meal, and then take fewer. In one study, people who lowered bites taken per meal by 20 to 30 percent lost 3.5 pounds on average.

Other ways to slow down mealtime:

• Turn off the TV, phones and other digital devices, and focus on the smells, flavors, and textures of the food.
• Lay forks and spoons down while chewing.
• If eating with others, engage in leisurely conversation. If dining alone, relax, breathe, and practice appreciation moment by moment.
• Wait a few minutes after the main course before serving a dessert.

The goal is to have mealtime be a pleasurable event, and not something to rush through.

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” ~ Luciano Pavarotti

Source: Medical News Today; Mercola?
Photo credit: Joshua Rappeneker