We are South Beaching for a couple of weeks to start the New Year. It’s a good way to purge a bit after the excess food binge of the holidays.
Whenever people ask me about how to lose weight, this is one of the things that comes up — how I slowed down my eating so that I actually feel full sooner and end up eating less. My brother-in-law was joking around about it when we went out to eat in Tucson, but I think he got it.
I also share some of my meals with three golden retrievers — that definitely helps you eat less!
How to Slow Down Now (Please Read Slowly) | Zen Habits
Slow eating
How many of us have heard our mothers tell us not to gobble our food? Children eat like animals until they are civilized. We eat and run. The slow food movement started in Italy as a backlash against fast food, but that is another subject. Current wisdom has it that eating slowly can help you lose weight. Taking your time to chew your food releases the nutrients. It’s easy to overeat, but slowing down can help.
In America, we talk about being full up after a meal. Food is seen as fuel. You are more likely to eat quickly if you eat alone. You are more likely to eat quickly if you are working at the same time. When we gulp down food our stomachs don’t have a chance to digest it properly, nor signal to our brains that we are satiated.
Taking a break between courses or eating smaller portions and waiting, eating with others, and taking time to digest what you eat is a good way to practice slowing down.
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