By Javeria Faizan
We live in an era of swiftness and immediacy. It is the revolution of our time. We are always looking for a faster version of everything be it communication, transportation, delivery system anything, the quicker the better. Even the food we are having is deemed fast and this is the concern we are going to address below. However, considering its significance and need, we enlighten you about the 10 benefits of eating your food slowly that help you to beat several health problems.
We all know how the term ‘fast food’ was coined. A food that can be gulped down quickly is classified as fast food. Don’t get me wrong though I am not suggesting anything against that genre of food. I also like having a good burger or cheesy pizza every now and then. What I want is to imply that speed in this context is not good.
Food is something that should be enjoyed. It should be a fulfillment to all our senses. It is not a thing to be devoured urgently. No doubt, consuming food should be a deliberate act. But what is the need to hurriedly stuff our mouths with all that we have? Maybe this urgency to finish food has been programmed in our genetics from the time when there were no refrigerators and quickly finishing the food was the only way to save it from spoiling. Busy lives and limited time also make us hasty eaters because sustenance is necessary. The concept of eating slowly for good health has been around since the Victorian era. Horace Fletcher was the first person to insist that we chew our food around a hundred times before swallowing. He was a firm believer in his motto “Nature will castigate those who don’t masticate”. Now we have an abundance of scientific studies supporting his stance. The 10 benefits of eating your food slowly are suggested below.
10 Benefits Of Eating Your Food Slowly
1- It Enhances The Experience Of Eating
Good food has a tendency to stimulate all of our five senses. It is delightful to look at, heavenly to smell, the sizzling or toasting sounds pleasant to hear, and various textures nice to touch. Add that with amazing flavors, and you have enjoyed the best meal. Not slowing down to enjoy such an experience is a shame.
2- It Stops Us From Overeating
Our body needs time to recognize fullness. It takes about twenty minutes for the signal of fullness sent out by the stomach to reach our brains. Eating slowly is important because rushing our meals makes us miss out on the signs our body is giving and we end up ingesting more food than required.
3- It Helps Us Shed Extra Weight
Deliberately slowing down our eating habits makes us more aware of our bodies. Once we show signs of fullness, we stop eating. This stops us from overeating, which in turn helps us lose that extra weight we have carried around with us.
4- It Fights Obesity
It is an established fact that slow eating habits help fight obesity. Portion control, taking the time to enjoy your meal, and stopping before fullness kicks in are key factors that resist obesity.
5- It Improves Digestion
Slow eating habits involve chewing food properly. Deliberately chewing food gives the enzymes in saliva a head start toward digestion. Food that has been chewed properly is digested better than food that has been gulped down the throat in five minutes.
6- It Promotes The Absorption Of Nutrients
The better the food is digested, the more chance of absorption its nutrients have. It also boosts nutrient absorption in our body because these are vital for our overall health and well-being.
7- It Unburdens The Stomach
Chewing properly assists our stomach indigestion. It not only saves it from the workload but also keeps unpleasant conditions like bloating, burping, and acid reflux.
8- It Calms Us Down
When we take the time to fully enjoy our meal and pay it our full attention, it tends to calm us down. No matter how worked up and stressed you are, devouring your food with gratitude serves as a self-care measure to unwind us and bring us back to track.
9- It Teaches Self-Control
Resisting the urge to overeat teaches us self-control. It arms us with discipline which enables us to control ourselves in every situation.
10- It Is A Sign Of A Healthy Lifestyle
Employing deliberate and slow eating manners is a lifestyle choice. Once we start doing it, we pave our path toward a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle.
What we learned is that, when it comes to food slow down, deliberately chew and enjoy the food to its fullest. It not only leads us to prosperity, but it also saves us from obesity and other related disorders.