Food For Thought
To diet or not to diet. There is so much information out now about various and contradictory approaches.
High carbs, low fat. High protein, low carbs; Three meals a day or five smaller meals a
day.
What to believe? Who do you trust? What can you do to best ensure healthy
digestion?
We are so busy choosing a diet and counting calories, or taking a supplement that is
supposed to help us burn off the weight, that we have lost sight of the
goal—feeling good, maintaining our health and improving the quality
of our lives. Nutrition plays a big part in the overall goal and
therefore should not be overlooked when considering what diet is right for you.
Nutrition, however, is considerably more than simply what
you eat. Perhaps there has been too much emphasis placed on what you eat and not enough care and sense in how and when you eat. In this process it is important to consider our Digestive
System. So far it has probably taken a lot of abuse, but it is important to
realize that while able to accommodate a wide variety of input, it is a delicate
and complex system which requires much fine-tuning and timing to optimally
function. Blood flow, muscle action, proper enzyme secretion, effective
absorption and complete elimination of waste, all controlled and coordinated by
the Nervous System require a specific order of sequence and definite timing for digestion to successfully
occur.
The Autonomic Nervous System controls these functions usually associated with involuntary
control, such as heart rate, breathing and digestion. If you eat when feeling
rushed or upset, it throws the system into an inappropriate mode. It alters the
delicate balance between acid and mucus production in the stomach. It diverts
blood away from the digestive organs. You tend to chew more quickly, swallowing
larger pieces and making digestion more difficult. The timing of the system is
affected and food passes through too quickly and not broken down properly or
sits too long and causes constipation.
Even if you eat the healthiest food grown on the planet (and I certainly recommend that you do),
if you are eating in a hurry, when you are upset or distracted, you probably
will not absorb it properly. When was the last time you ate on the run or
brought problems to the table with you? Why not treat eating as a sacred
experience and a time to fully enjoy, digest and be conscious. A little common sense goes a long
way.
HOW TO BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP
IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU EAT THAT’S MAKING YOU FAT, IT’S ALSO HOW
YOU EAT.
Eating too much and exercising too little will make you fat, but
other things influence weight gain too. How fast you eat, what else you’re doing
while you eat and even the size of your plate and glass can have a powerful
influence on how much food you swallow.
HOW CAN YOU BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP?
Slow down and pay attention, reports the Wall Street
Journal.
Eating your food more slowly not only helps you savor it, but
also helps you to eat less. At the University of Rhode Island, researchers
invited 30 women to have dinner in their laboratory where they were served a
tasty pasta dish. The ladies were told to eat quickly, and they finished on
average, in nine minutes. In a second test the same women were served the same
dish but told to slow down and chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times. They were told
to stop eating when they felt full. It took them about a half-hour to finish the
meal.
The results?
When the women ate slowly, they consumed 67 fewer calories than when they
wolfed down their food. What does that mean? If you were to eliminate 67 calories at dinner every
night—and make no other changes to your lifestyle—you would
lose seven pounds in a year.
Brian Wansink, author of the book “Mindless Eating” and director
of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York, insists
it is external factors that make
us eat too much. He told the Wall Street Journal that the average person makes
about 200 food decisions every day, but puts real conscious thought into only
about 10% of them.
SEVEN FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGE MINDLESS EATING
·
Distractions while we eat, such as watching tv.
Location of the food on the table
Size of the plate or container
You’ll eat more if you like what you are drinking
Not paying attention to the extras, such as bread
Too much variety
Dining with friends
SEVEN TRICKS TO BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP
·
Try to be the last person to start eating
Decide how much to eat before sitting down
·
Use smaller dishes so portions look larger
Don’t eat in front of tv or in the car
Eat chips or sweets only on the days you exercise
Cover half your plate with vegetables or salad
·
Leave serving bowls in the kitchen and not on the table
To diet or not to diet. There is so much information out now about various and contradictory approaches.
High carbs, low fat. High protein, low carbs; Three meals a day or five smaller meals a
day.
What to believe? Who do you trust? What can you do to best ensure healthy
digestion?
We are so busy choosing a diet and counting calories, or taking a supplement that is
supposed to help us burn off the weight, that we have lost sight of the
goal—feeling good, maintaining our health and improving the quality
of our lives. Nutrition plays a big part in the overall goal and
therefore should not be overlooked when considering what diet is right for you.
Nutrition, however, is considerably more than simply what
you eat. Perhaps there has been too much emphasis placed on what you eat and not enough care and sense in how and when you eat. In this process it is important to consider our Digestive
System. So far it has probably taken a lot of abuse, but it is important to
realize that while able to accommodate a wide variety of input, it is a delicate
and complex system which requires much fine-tuning and timing to optimally
function. Blood flow, muscle action, proper enzyme secretion, effective
absorption and complete elimination of waste, all controlled and coordinated by
the Nervous System require a specific order of sequence and definite timing for digestion to successfully
occur.
The Autonomic Nervous System controls these functions usually associated with involuntary
control, such as heart rate, breathing and digestion. If you eat when feeling
rushed or upset, it throws the system into an inappropriate mode. It alters the
delicate balance between acid and mucus production in the stomach. It diverts
blood away from the digestive organs. You tend to chew more quickly, swallowing
larger pieces and making digestion more difficult. The timing of the system is
affected and food passes through too quickly and not broken down properly or
sits too long and causes constipation.
Even if you eat the healthiest food grown on the planet (and I certainly recommend that you do),
if you are eating in a hurry, when you are upset or distracted, you probably
will not absorb it properly. When was the last time you ate on the run or
brought problems to the table with you? Why not treat eating as a sacred
experience and a time to fully enjoy, digest and be conscious. A little common sense goes a long
way.
HOW TO BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP
IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU EAT THAT’S MAKING YOU FAT, IT’S ALSO HOW
YOU EAT.
Eating too much and exercising too little will make you fat, but
other things influence weight gain too. How fast you eat, what else you’re doing
while you eat and even the size of your plate and glass can have a powerful
influence on how much food you swallow.
HOW CAN YOU BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP?
Slow down and pay attention, reports the Wall Street
Journal.
Eating your food more slowly not only helps you savor it, but
also helps you to eat less. At the University of Rhode Island, researchers
invited 30 women to have dinner in their laboratory where they were served a
tasty pasta dish. The ladies were told to eat quickly, and they finished on
average, in nine minutes. In a second test the same women were served the same
dish but told to slow down and chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times. They were told
to stop eating when they felt full. It took them about a half-hour to finish the
meal.
The results?
When the women ate slowly, they consumed 67 fewer calories than when they
wolfed down their food. What does that mean? If you were to eliminate 67 calories at dinner every
night—and make no other changes to your lifestyle—you would
lose seven pounds in a year.
Brian Wansink, author of the book “Mindless Eating” and director
of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, New York, insists
it is external factors that make
us eat too much. He told the Wall Street Journal that the average person makes
about 200 food decisions every day, but puts real conscious thought into only
about 10% of them.
SEVEN FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGE MINDLESS EATING
·
Distractions while we eat, such as watching tv.
Location of the food on the table
Size of the plate or container
You’ll eat more if you like what you are drinking
Not paying attention to the extras, such as bread
Too much variety
Dining with friends
SEVEN TRICKS TO BREAK THE MINDLESS EATING TRAP
·
Try to be the last person to start eating
Decide how much to eat before sitting down
·
Use smaller dishes so portions look larger
Don’t eat in front of tv or in the car
Eat chips or sweets only on the days you exercise
Cover half your plate with vegetables or salad
·
Leave serving bowls in the kitchen and not on the table
