The Power of Slowing Down and Becoming Present to the Art of Eating

Would you consider yourself to be a fast, moderate or slow eater?

Why might this be important?

Well, a big part of our digestive process actually begins in our brain and is known as the Cephalic or Head phase of digestion! Yes, our digestion actually begins in our brain!

So if you are a fast eater for example, how much time do you think you might actually be present to the fact that you are eating? Even if you call yourself a moderate eater, you will actually bypass the signals to the brain that you are eating and that tell your brain you are satiated or satisfied from eating your meal.

Eating on the run, eating while standing, eating while doing another task, these are all unhealthy ways to eat and will bypass the cephalic head phase of digestion. Could this be why you are still feeling hungry even after eating a meal? You bet!

The most optimal state to be in for eating purposes is S L O W!! Slow it down, sit down and become present to the very special opportunity of nourishing yourself through eating! Do not underestimate the power of this!

Slow it down, be more mindful, chew more!

When it comes to receiving the most out of every meal you eat, it is vitally important that you slow down and become present to what you are eating.

While this might currently be unfamiliar to your mind and your body, you will reep the benefits if you can begin to take this on. You need to make each meal an experience, to be present, to chew, to smell, to taste, to take in the colors and aromas. In other words, eating should be a feast for all your senses!

When you learn the art (yes, it truly is an art!) of slowing down with your meals you will be doing your body a huge favor.  This is because you will be putting your body into its’ optimal state of digestion, assimilation and metabolism when you are eating slow and are present to your meal.

That means that you will actually receive more nutrients, have less digestive discomfort and burn more calories by eating slow!

Less Hunger

By slowing down while eating you will be more satiated because you will be giving your digestive system the time to send satiety messages to your brain. This helps to slow down your hunger hormone known as ghrelin. When your digestive system does not get the chance to register satiety, then this certainly can lead to overeating.

The other benefit of slowing down while eating is that it can lessen your caloric intake. You will actually begin to feel full when eating your meals slowly and therefore will not be tempted to eat so much!

Go ahead and try this for yourself. Do an experiment where you might eat something like a bowl of ice cream very quickly, as in 5 minutes or less, one day and notice how you feel. Then the next day have another bowl of ice cream and allow yourself to slow down, take 30 minutes with that bowl of ice cream. Be completely present and savor each and every spoonfull of that ice cream and notice how your feelings of fullness and pleasure change compared to yesterday.

How Can I Slow Down When Eating?

One of the first ways to slow down is to actually take the time to sit down! What a concept for some! Sit down with your meal and take a few moments to just be present with that meal. You could hold the plate or bowl in your hands and offer  gratitude for that meal, gratitude for those who grew this food and gratitude to who may have prepared this meal.

Next, take a few long, slow, deep breaths to bring you into a more present state of being. Or what we call in Eating Psychology, the optimal state of eating. This is because you will be bringing yourself out of stress physiology and into a more relaxed or parasympathetic state. This is where you want to be when eating!

Then make sure that you are just eating. Not watching TV, reading a magazine, or listening to a podcast, but actually eating. Just eating! Do not underestimate the power of this when it comes to creating better health. All health begins in the gut and when you slow down to eat you are giving your digestive system a chance to optimally break down, assimilate and metabolize your meal.

Chew, Chew and Chew Some More!

While digestion begins in your brain through the Cephalic or Head phase of digestion, by chewing your food, a lot, you will be doing your digestive system a great favor. Not only will you be helping to release the necessary enzymes for breaking down your food, but will be sending messages down to your digestive tract to get ready. Food is coming! So it will be more prepared and will not have to work so hard to break down your food before it goes through the assimilation and metabolism of your meal.

Chewing of course is the optimal way to slow down. You may be surprised at just how difficult this may be for you. It has to become a practice. Putting down your utensils between bites can help. We can be so habituated to putting the next mouthful of food in our mouth before we have even finished chewing or swallowing the first one!

Let this be another exercise for you over the next few weeks. Turn it into a challenge for yourself where you continue to increase the number of chews per mouthful each day and at each meal. By chewing until your food is completely liquid your digestive system will thank you!

So the message in this message is to Slow Down, to Chew and to Enjoy your food!

Trust me, your body will sincerely thank you!

This blog is timely because it sets the stage for my upcoming 8 Week Breakthrough Program where we begin right here, at learning the art and science behind slowing down with our food!

I am so excited to be offering this program through our local community programs here in Lake Country. My program begins September 9th and you can find out more information here and can register by clicking the button below! Hope to see you there!

By the way, I am hoping to put this into an online format for you real soon, so stay tuned!

Your Nourishing Nutritionist,

Lynne Bowsher

Nourishment for body, mind and spirit

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