Slow, conscious eating

One of the "rules" given to me by my new Doctor is "Eat slowly. Do not rush your meals. Enjoy your dining experience."

I am sadly guilty of not doing this often. I sit down to eat and before I know it, the food is gone. I've only really taken the time to appreciate the flavor, texture, smell, and appearance for the first bite or two - maybe. Either way, I make food disappear in record time most meals, especially if I'm dining alone. (For purely self-conscious reasons, I often slow down in front of others.)

That said, I am trying to really be conscious of this rule. It's not a new concept to me. The working theory is that if you eat slower, you will enjoy your food more, but also you will give your body time to recognize fading hunger signals. That is really the key here - it takes something like 20 minutes for your body to recognize that is no longer hungry and to relay that message to your brain. If you have shoveled a large quantity of food into your mouth quickly, your body has no time to process and that is how I end up feeling stuffed.

This week, I have found myself taking smaller bites, leaving more time in between bites, taking longer to finish a meal... and the results have been delightful! I am enjoying my food more, but also eating less of it. I can actually feel when I am approaching full and stop eating before I get stuffed. When I am being conscious of my eating, I am less likely to feel a compulsion to "clear my plate".

I also think the process of slowing down and being a conscious eater is part of what helped me get through the urge toward emotional eating the other day. If I stop to consider my body's hunger signals, I am more likely to recognize when I am eating because of something other than physical hunger.

I hope I am able to make this a life long habit. Even if tomorrow I went back to eating unhealthy food in larger quantities, I want to continue the process of be fully aware of what I am eating, why I am eating it, and how quickly I am eating it. It has been very good for me just in the few days I have engaged with the practice.