Speaking about eating healthy, people tend to make it too complicated by focusing too much on a type of food, time of meals, and amount of calories. However, seldom anyone would pay attention to the eating process itself, i.e. how to eat. I think many professionals in the health world underestimate slow eating.
Do you remember the last time you were alone having a meal being 100% immersed in the process? Meaning you didn't use your phone at this moment, didn't read a book, chewed sufficiently. You paid attention to the taste, texture, and combination of the products and if you enjoy what you eat. Most of my clients answer that such experience they either have very rare or never had. What about you? Write down below in the comments.
Researchers from a university in Japan examined data from 59,717 people with type 2 diabetes. They asked people to describe themselves as fast, medium or slow eaters.
People who were slowest eaters had the lowest risk of obesity. People who described themselves as medium-eaters had a bit higher risk, but the highest risk was in the fast-eating group - those who swallow an entire meal within 3 to 5 minutes.
The important thing is that the receptors on the stomach start sending signals to the brain about fullness only when they detect the fullness. And the entire process - food goes from mouth to the stomach, and then signals go from the stomach to the brain - takes about 20 to 30 minutes, then the brain shuts off the urge to eat, i.e. you don't want to eat anymore.
That means a fast eater will consume more food in 20 minutes than a slow eater. By the time a fast-eater gets the satiety signals, it's too late — he has overeaten and is uncomfortably full. While eating at a slower pace allows feeling satisfied at the end of the meal.