Some people have their own eating habits, some are fast and some are slow. Eating fast turns out to be risky causing several conditions that are detrimental to health. Conversely, eating slower has been shown to be more healthy and helping the body maintain a normal body weight.
Eating slower may sound trivial and inefficient. But research has found that by extending the duration of eating, people who are obese can consume fewer calories. Not only that, it turns out that in general eating more slowly can bring various health benefits.
Benefits of Eating Slower and the Risk of Eating Fast
It takes about 20 minutes for the body to send a full signal to the brain. Eating in a hurry makes this process to be cut off. By eating fast, the body also does not get a chance to get the maximum benefit from food. The following risks can arise from eating fast, namely:
- Eating fast, as well as drinking fast, can increase the backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus after eating, thereby increasing the risk of stomach acid disease (GERD) which causes heartburn. If left untreated, this condition can cause complications of narrowing of the esophagus, ulcers, to bleeding.
- Eating slower can make you enjoy food more and make your stomach full faster.
- Eating fast makes you not enjoy food and tends to spend too much food than it should. This condition causes excess calories which ultimately increases body weight.
- Research has found that eating fast increases the risk of type 2 diabetes up to 2.5 times. High levels of blood sugar and insulin increase the risk of insulin resistance.
- Eating fast increases the risk of metabolic syndrome which then also increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
- Eating fast slows down digestion, because the mouth is accustomed to eating large portions of food.
Given the importance of eating calmer and slower, those of you who are accustomed to eating quickly need to learn new habits. The guide below might help:
- Eating while watching TV, playing a cell phone, or typing in front of a computer makes you tend to eat fast. You can try to enjoy more food by eating while concentrating on food without being interrupted. This can be done by eating while listening to light music or even lighting a candle.
- Bite the food little by little, chew slowly, enjoy the taste, sound and texture of the food. Chew at least 20-30 times each bribe.
- Determine regular meal times. Late eating makes you accustomed to eating fast. Waiting until you are too hungry and eating will make you eat more and choose unhealthy foods.
- Eating healthy snacks in between meals can prevent eating fast or too hungry.
- Eating a large glass of water in the middle of a meal can make you take a break and then eat more slowly.
- Eat fiber-rich foods that take longer to digest and make your stomach full longer.
By eating slower, you can get more benefits from food consumed, as well as health benefits that will not be obtained if you eat fast.
