Weight loss tip #116 – Eat slowly, chew properly

Do you get those weird looks when you are the last person to finish eating? Give yourself a good look because you might definitely be leaner than most people on that table. However, if you are eating two pizzas instead of one, then the comparison isn’t valid.  Eating properly is an art and you must engage all your five senses into it. It’s folklore that you can get nourishment only if you enjoy and love the food you eat.

Eating fast does not mean you are eating less. In fact, there are studies ^[1][2][3] to prove that people who eat fast tend to have a higher body mass index and tend to gain more weight. One research conducted on 4000 middle-aged subjects suggests that men and women who ate very fast started gaining more body weight since young age.

Most processes in the body are controlled by hormones. The anti-hunger hormones released when you are eating the food sends a message to the brain about the intake of the food. However, this activity takes some time. Hence, when you eat slowly, the brain realises that you are full and you experience a loss of appetite even though you have not had huge portions. On the other hand, eating too quickly will lead to overeating as the brain receives the signal late, which eventually leads to obesity. Try these 9 smart ways to lose weight without any exercise.

So if you are planning to lose weight, enjoy your meal and eat it slowly. Chew it well as chewing too has an association with low-calorie intake and weight loss ^[4]. Next time you are eating a meal, relax, sit in an appropriate place and enjoy your meal instead of rushing through it. It will not lead to a sudden weight loss in a week but the weight gain will be in control.

References

1. Leong, S. L., Madden, C., Gray, A., Waters, D., & Horwath, C. (2011). Faster self-reported speed of eating is related to higher body mass index in a nationwide survey of middle-aged women. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111(8), 1192-1197.
2. Otsuka, R., Tamakoshi, K., Yatsuya, H., Murata, C., Sekiya, A., Wada, K., … & OuYang, P. (2006). Eating fast leads to obesity: findings based on self-administered questionnaires among middle-aged Japanese men and women.Journal of epidemiology, 16(3), 117-124.
3. Tanihara, S., Imatoh, T., Miyazaki, M., Babazono, A., Momose, Y., Baba, M., … & Une, H. (2011). Retrospective longitudinal study on the relationship between 8-year weight change and current eating speed. Appetite, 57(1), 179-183.
4. Zhu, Y., & Hollis, J. H. (2015). Relationship between chewing behavior and body weight status in fully dentate healthy adults. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 66(2), 135-139.

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