Eat Slow

MetCon//

Open WOD 18.3

When you eat slow a couple of great things happen. Your satiety keeps up with the food you're putting in. If you extend your meal, no matter what it is, you'll likely be satisfied before or at around the time you're actually finished. Over eating is usually just a matter of eating at a pace that is faster than the hormones that tell us to stop eating.

Processed foods work against us on multiple fronts in the battle to eat slow. They're much more energy dense (more calories) and because they're processed (already partially digested) we use or store much more of those calories available. They taste really good and feel really good in the mouth. You always need to remember that the companies making these foods have one thing in mind. "how much of this stuff can we get people to buy?" If it comes in a wrapper or box, it is fully engineered to get you to eat a lot of it. Smells good, tastes good, feels good when you first bite into it. It's also soft, very soft compared to whole foods. Even crunchy foods- chips and crackers have that initial crunch, but quickly slide right down the shoot like any other processed food. We (humans) spent thousands of years choking down raw veggies, half ripe fruit, and really lean meats. Our satiety hormones are set up for organic chicken cooked over an open flame, not chicken nuggets. That being said though, it's pretty cool that we don't have to catch, kill, clean, and cook a chicken every day. It's also cool that we know about how long it takes for our stomach to signal that we're full. 

You don't always have access to the whole foods you know you should be eating, but you do have access to your own mindfulness. Whether you're eating your perfectly portioned pre-prepped meal or picking up a burger after your kid's softball tournament, be patient, eat slowly and enjoy whatever is in front of you.