by Megan Lyons | May 28, 2013 | 0 comments

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Did you see my tips on healthy dessert ideas and how to make a holiday weekend healthier? Kev and I followed some of those healthy tips as we grilled out Sunday night. I actually took this picture with Instagram … to complete the social media frenzy, I’ve added an account there, too (follow me by clicking the camera icon at the top, by the runner). While we’re off topic, remember that there are several ways to make sure you’re getting the blog content without having to randomly check the website …

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Anyway, Monday mornings are always crazy, and it seems like the Tuesday mornings after a long weekend can be even more so. So, I have a straightforward challenge for you today … when you eat your meals, simply eat slowly. (source)

Most of us (myself included) are guilty of multi-tasking while eating or not giving ourselves the time to really enjoy our meals. We just want to get it down as quickly as possible so we can move on to the next thing. But doing so has several negative consequences:

Overeating: Maybe you have heard that it takes about 20 minutes for feelings of satiation to reach your brain, and it’s true! If you don’t slow down, you won’t allow enough time to realize you’re full, which can lead to that uncomfortable feeling (and extra, unneeded calories) later.
Digestive problems: if you eat too quickly, you may experience bloating, gas, heartburn, or general discomfort, due to excess air swallowed when eating quickly or undigested/ partially-digested food particles in the digestive tract when you don’t chew thoroughly enough.
Poor nutrient absorption: Chewing is a critical part of our digestive process, and chewing our food actually helps our bodies absorb the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals we eat.
Lack of enjoyment: When we eat quickly, we are far less likely to actually enjoy what we’re eating. But taking the time to enjoy our meals (which is hard to do in our always-connected, always-working, always-multitasking world) can have huge mental-health/ relaxation benefits, as well as increasing your satisfaction levels, so you’re less likely to choose unhealthy foods later.
Negative health issues: A study from the International Congress of Endocrinology shows that those who eat quickly are “two and a half times more likely to suffer from Type 2 Diabetes.” They’re not quite sure why this is the case, but it’s a pretty significant (and scary) difference, and another reason to slow down and enjoy. (source)