As I have mentioned in previous blogs, my husband and I have been following the Colorado Diet from the State of Slim book. This book and diet has inspired us in so many ways. For the first time in my life I look at change as something fun to do. It may be because each change is small and builds on the previous change.
Interestingly, some changes happen naturally and don’t require a whole thought of thinking or planning. They occur as a part of other changes you make. There is one change I “discovered” the other day and made note of to my husband. It actually kind of shocked me.
I am chewing my food more and taking a lot longer to eat. We have been eating whole foods, especially more fresh vegetables. It takes me longer to chew these foods to break them down enough to swallow. For the first time in our married life I am taking longer to consume my meal than my husband.
There are many benefits to chewing more. Studies show that if we chew more we will end up feeling fuller and more satisfied. Chewing helps break down the food we eat and by doing so allows our bodies to better absorb the nutrients from the food. Chewing also triggers our metabolism to wake up and convert the food we are eating to energy instead of automatically sending it to fat storage.
Whole fresh foods take more time to chew. Packaged foods that are made of highly processed and highly refined ingredients take little chewing to swallow. Packaged foods also tend to be very calorie dense. This means you have a lot of calories packed into a small amount…like a brownie. This ends up being a triple whammy for your body. Your favorite store-bought cookies, snacks and treats don’t take much to chew, are high in calories compared to size and, because you don’t have to chew them much, are not very satisfying so you eat even more of them. Without having to chew and by swallowing your favorite treats virtually whole, your body doesn’t even recognize you are eating. Without that trigger we never feel satisfied and just keep eating and eating…until that whole bag of chips or cookies or candy is gone.
It is amazing to me how much I can consume. Because of our Hunter/Gatherer genetics, we are all able to gorge. The key is what we eat. If we eat more whole foods and foods high in water content, we can still eat high volumes of food. And because it takes more time to chew these foods we will absorb more nutrients and feel more satisfied. It is not about limiting what we eat but changing out calorie dense foods with whole fresh foods lower in calories and higher in water volume.
Simple changes can make a world of difference in our health. Taking time to chew our food is one of those simple changes that can truly contribute to our desired and healthier lifestyle.
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