I used to eat slowly.
This changed after our twin grandchildren moved in with us.
The kids are always in a hurry, racing off to gymnastics or band practice or activities with friends.
When the kids eat fast I tend to eat fast: It's an unconscious response.
Unfortunately, the consequences of gobbling food are painful.
It ccan take minutes for a piece of food to slide down my esophagus and I wthought I might choke.
I also worry about my esophagus.
Was I one of those senior citizens with a shrinking food tube? After I started to track the times when I ate too fast and chewed too little, I realized it happens when the twins are at the table.
Eating fast and not chewing food properly can cause acid reflux (which is no fun) and swallowing problems.
That is why many nutritionists, dietitians and fitness experts are promoting healthy chewing.
Kelly Reith, BA, RHN cites some of the benefits in a Macrobiotic Guide website article, "Chewing Well: The Salivary Glands Partners for Life.
" Chewing starts the body's digestive process.
Your teeth are grinding up food for digestion.
But if you do not chew well, "you can feel the food tear and scrape your throat," Reith explains.
She thinks the body uses less energy to digest well-chewed food.
Now I am in the process of rediscovering the benefits of eating slowly and chewing well.
The biggest benefit, it seems to me, is that I get to taste and appreciate my food.
What a deal! The Kitchen website lists some of the benefits of well-chewed food in its article, "The Science Behind Chewing You food Properly.
" Saliva breaks down fats and starches with enzymes, the article notes, and poorly chewed food is partially unprocessed food, so you feel sluggish.
"It doesn't do you any good to make healthy eating choices and not be able to receive the benefits of it," the article concludes.
Fitness expert Brad Linder examines chewing in his article, "Chewing Your Food is One Nutrition Tip that can Help with Weight Loss and Improving Health.
" When you chew food properly, Linder says you eat less.
Eating slowly also gives your brain a chance to realize you are full.
Is swallowing painful for you? Has food gotten stuck in your esophagus? Is eating merely a fuel stop? These tips will help you eat slowly and enjoy your food.
First, cut your food into small, half-inch pieces.
Chew each bite of food well.
You do not have to chew it a specific number of times, but you do need to keep in mind that different types of food require different chewing.
Steak needs to be chewed more thoroughly than cooked carrots, for example.
To get the saliva working, you should even chew yogurt.
The moral of this food story: Take the time to savor the colors, flavors and textures of food.
The twins leave for college in three weeks.
We will go back to eating slowly, lingering at the dinner table, and sharing stories about our lives.
Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson
This changed after our twin grandchildren moved in with us.
The kids are always in a hurry, racing off to gymnastics or band practice or activities with friends.
When the kids eat fast I tend to eat fast: It's an unconscious response.
Unfortunately, the consequences of gobbling food are painful.
It ccan take minutes for a piece of food to slide down my esophagus and I wthought I might choke.
I also worry about my esophagus.
Was I one of those senior citizens with a shrinking food tube? After I started to track the times when I ate too fast and chewed too little, I realized it happens when the twins are at the table.
Eating fast and not chewing food properly can cause acid reflux (which is no fun) and swallowing problems.
That is why many nutritionists, dietitians and fitness experts are promoting healthy chewing.
Kelly Reith, BA, RHN cites some of the benefits in a Macrobiotic Guide website article, "Chewing Well: The Salivary Glands Partners for Life.
" Chewing starts the body's digestive process.
Your teeth are grinding up food for digestion.
But if you do not chew well, "you can feel the food tear and scrape your throat," Reith explains.
She thinks the body uses less energy to digest well-chewed food.
Now I am in the process of rediscovering the benefits of eating slowly and chewing well.
The biggest benefit, it seems to me, is that I get to taste and appreciate my food.
What a deal! The Kitchen website lists some of the benefits of well-chewed food in its article, "The Science Behind Chewing You food Properly.
" Saliva breaks down fats and starches with enzymes, the article notes, and poorly chewed food is partially unprocessed food, so you feel sluggish.
"It doesn't do you any good to make healthy eating choices and not be able to receive the benefits of it," the article concludes.
Fitness expert Brad Linder examines chewing in his article, "Chewing Your Food is One Nutrition Tip that can Help with Weight Loss and Improving Health.
" When you chew food properly, Linder says you eat less.
Eating slowly also gives your brain a chance to realize you are full.
Is swallowing painful for you? Has food gotten stuck in your esophagus? Is eating merely a fuel stop? These tips will help you eat slowly and enjoy your food.
First, cut your food into small, half-inch pieces.
Chew each bite of food well.
You do not have to chew it a specific number of times, but you do need to keep in mind that different types of food require different chewing.
Steak needs to be chewed more thoroughly than cooked carrots, for example.
To get the saliva working, you should even chew yogurt.
The moral of this food story: Take the time to savor the colors, flavors and textures of food.
The twins leave for college in three weeks.
We will go back to eating slowly, lingering at the dinner table, and sharing stories about our lives.
Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson
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