Why I keep practicing eating slow….

I have always tried to be healthy. When I embarked on a career in health and life coaching, I thought I knew at least most common mistakes that we were making in our daily lives that had an impact on our health. I thought I knew the simple rules such as eating fruits and vegetables, staying away from processed foods, and moving. I wanted to get more information on the nuts and bolts of health. More about the why. Well besides drinking more water, I would say that I could not believe the benefits of simply eating slowly. Yes, sounds a little too easy but most of us need to slow down and enjoy our food. I know that I have talked about this before but just read a book and it again emphasizes all the benefits of eating slowly. What is funny, is that when I am encouraging a client to slow down and taste their food and admit that this has been a complete struggle for me. I am much better but still struggle with a story in my head “I need to get up and start the cleanup” when I am white knuckling it to sit here and enjoy. Why is this? I think it is the mom in us. We have learned to cook, clean, fix plates, etc. while raising children. I don’t think we have had practice at mealtimes being an hour long. The problem with me was that I would be out to dinner with friends, and I would be completely done and most barely be applying dressing on their salad lol. Once I realized all the benefits of eating more slowly and understanding that it could make a difference in my overall health, I decided to keep emphasizing the importance of eating slower and encourage others to do the same.

So, why is it that we need to slow down while eating? How can this improve our health? Our central nervous system has a profound link to metabolism and stress. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for getting our digestive system working and breaking down our food. It also tells our body when we are stressed, not to digest our food! Yes, it says no we need to save our energy just in case we need to fight or flight. The parasympathetic nervous system is when we are calm, relaxed, and enjoying our food. This is where we want to be while eating. Our digestive system is working like a charm. If we are stressed our body switches to the sympathetic nervous system and slows down the digestive system and saves for combat lol. By eating slowly, calmly, and in enjoyment, our bodies absorb the nutrients better, the digestive tract works smoother, and most importantly the body has time to become satiated. Yep, when we feel satisfied, we hopefully will stop eating. Eating slowly is a winner overall.

This week let’s practice being fully present in our meals at least 80% of the time. I know, there are times when we just must eat on the run. It happens. But, for the most part, take your time to slow down, chew your food slowly, enjoy the taste, textures, and smells. Turn off the tv, put down the phone, and simply enjoy the food. I have told you before, I was asked to time myself eating and it took less than 5 minutes to finish my lunch. I have been told it should take at least 20 minutes. Oh my, I have work to do!