ChickSpeak

Did you know that some studies have shown that it takes your brain about 20 minutes to register that it is full after you start eating? Our busy lives and crazy schedules have created a generation of munchers who eat on the run, right out of the containers, and often don’t even realize what or how much they have just consumed. 

The habits that we once might have considered “time saving measures,” such as eating while standing at the kitchen counter in lue of sitting at the table, may actually be causing us to over eat and miss our bodies’ natural ques of feeling satisfied.  All of this, over time, can lead to added pounds, and in extreme cases even diabetes and heart disease.  

Try to remember the last time you actually savored your food, whether it was a meal, one bite at a time, or just one piece of something instead of a quickly devoured handful.  It may sound too simple to be effective, but try to slow down enough to focus on the flavors, textures and aromas of your meal or snack the next time you eat.  You may realize that you don’t even enjoy the taste of what you have been snacking on incessantly for the past few episodes of “The Hills,” or in the best case, you might discover that your taste buds love fresh broccoli or grilled chicken without needing to cover it gobs of sauce or melted cheese. The next time you eat, I challenge you to turn off the TV, your cell phone and- gasp- even your computer.

Stop multitasking and take one bite of the food from on your plate. Pretend to be a food critic and pay attention to the taste and textures. Think about how the food you’re eating makes you feel.  Do you feel like you’re nourishing your body? Maybe there’s room for improvement in the form of adding some natural color and crunch to your pasta, for example, by incorporating lightly steamed bell peppers and zucchini next time. By the time you are finished chewing, you may realize that you have satisfied your craving and hunger… well before polishing off the plateful or serving

So remember: Not only will you give yourself a much needed and deserved break by savoring your food and slowing down, but you will also reward yourself by figuring out if you really like the food you are eating, or if you are just eating take your mind off of something else.  Pay attention to what you put in your body and your body will thank you.