I want you to time how fast you eat your next meal. That’s right–get that stopwatch out, and punch the timer as you begin lifting your utensil or hand to your mouth for that savory first bite. Now once you are done, punch that stopwatch, and record the time. Try to do this when you are not too hungry, or full, otherwise your results will be skewed. Oh yeah… please don’t cheat and make yourself the most utterly grotesque meal (green peas, beans, eggplant, you get the drift) and then fool yourself into thinking that your really not a fast eater–that is what we call “denial”, and it’s not good! Now, I would be willing to bet you finished that meal somewhere around 10-15 minutes. Shame on you… why do you think they give you a minimum of 30-minutes for a lunch break! I understand your pain and I enjoy eating as well, and am no stranger to devoting my full energy to savagely destroying my meals, although I am getting better. In fact, I will shamefully admit that just a few nights ago, I probably ate a barbecue burger in less than 10-minutes. Slipping and losing yourself in a great meal is natural, but there are ways to discipline ourselves and exercise much needed self-control in eating habits.
So you clocked at 12-minutes and now want to know how to eat with finesse like the Europeans, who possess the talent of savoring their meals, and engage in what is called “mindful” eating. This is the notion that they form a type of spiritual bond with their food; they think about their food while they eat it and are “one” with their meals. I personally have never traveled to Europe, but I had a friend who returned from there, and upon return, she would spend 45-minutes eating. I found that when we went to a Thai Restaurant for the very first time when she had come back from her travels, I had finished my meal at least a half an hour before her… you do the math! I asked her why she was eating so painfully slowly, and if she had learned that from the French, and with a look of sheer confidence and self-assurance, she told me that “I am not eating slowly, you are eating fast”. I was flabbergasted by her remark, and she followed up calling me “ethnocentric and impulsive”. After her meal, she teased me further by drinking a cup of tea, sipping it extremely slowly. Nonetheless, we had a meaningful conversation, and I was intrigued by this new approach to eating.
So what exactly is “mindful eating”? We can start by saying that it won’t work unless you can learn to start eating without the tube on, reading, working on the computer, or engaging in any task other than simply maybe conversing with a family member or a friend. I know this may be an obstacle for our multi-taskers, but it is absolutely imperative you maintain focus on your meal. One way to think about this is by likening it to a yoga session or meditation session which involve only your senses and full concentration. When was the last time you played on the computer while meditating? The atmosphere is essential, and this is the easiest thing to control, so go at it the right away by sitting down in the kitchen, dining, or living room and eliminate playing with all the fancy gadgets or entertaining yourself. You are probably wondering why you need to start eating in an “Amish manner”. The reason behind this is clear; when you are playing with gadgets or entertaining yourself while eating, you put yourself in a position where you can’t effectively monitor the pace at which you are eating. So begin the New Year by eating your meals in a comfortable place and zeroing in on only that plate of goodness.
Now that the atmosphere has been set, it’s time to dig in. But we have a habit of not using our teeth while eating, which means we aren’t really chewing enough, and also, we are not maximizing the use of our taste buds either (which makes no sense, because we all want to get maximum pleasure from our meals). Chewing is so vital because the enzymes in saliva help break down the food, improving our ability to digest food, and ultimately helps prevent us from being bloated, getting heartburn, and other discomfort. Chewing also spares us the embarrassment of gas, and burping, which is a good thing if you work in an environment where you need to interact with employees and customers! Moreover, the indigestion that occurs from improper chewing can lead to vital nutrients not being absorbed properly. As if it weren’t hard enough already to get adequate amounts of all the nutrients our bodies need to function properly! But we all know that chewing slowly isn’t going to happen instantaneously, which is why many people find it helpful to put down their fork or spoon between bites. If we keep a fork constantly in our hands, we will be more inclined to go for that next bite without having completely chewed and swallowed that juicy piece of tenderloin.
Remember how you clocked yourself at 12-minutes earlier? Let’s revisit and add a little science now that we have established the proper atmosphere and adequate chewing technique. Newsflash people-it takes the brain approximately 20-minutes to recognize the stomach is full. This is because myriad hormone signals (which are activated when we begin to eat) help act to prevent weight loss by signaling to the brain a feeling of satiety. Yes, that means you probably overate and didn’t even realize it. Had you slowed down like my friend who had returned from France, you would have recognized the point when you started feeling full, and probably set aside that desert, and only had the hot tea. So why bypass these satiety signals when exhibiting a little bit of patience can prevent you from overeating?
There is no doubt we live in a society that is fast-paced, and technologically driven. But I implore you to try to set aside ample time for meals in order to help prevent overeating, indigestion, malnutrition, bloating, heartburn, and a variety of other health complications. I know you will encounter delicious meals, instances when you are craving a meal and starved, or otherwise just crunched for time. These are inevitable, and will occur. But do your absolute best to take the necessary precautions and steps to prevent inhaling your food. Remember, how you eat is just as important as what you eat.