Do You Eat Until You Feel Yourself Becoming Full? It May Cause Obesity!

[Brian Francis]

An honest answer would be appreciated. Especially since you only have to answer to yourself! Do you eat until you feel yourself getting full? I will be honest. Until recently I think I did most of the time during my life. I wanted to give some food for thought and share some information that I found interesting and that may be helpful to others.

Did you know that when you eat until you feel full that you probably have had too much to eat? Eating fast can cause you to eat more than is actually neccesary to satisfy your hunger and consume extra calories in the process (that most of us don't want). When we eat it takes time for the brain to get the message from your body that your stomach is full. The opinions on the amount of time it takes for your brain to get the signal varies among experts but there seems to be a popular opinion on about 20 minutes. It seems that alot of our lives are fast-paced and our eating habits seem to be as well. Based on the time it takes for your brain to actually realize you are "full", if you are eating quickly then there is a good chance you may be eating too much .

A study of 30 women found that when the women ate slower they consumed less calories. In this study the women were given 2 pasta meals. The first meal they were instructed to eat as much as they wanted quickly and the second meal to eat as much as they wanted at a slower pace. When the women consumed the food at a slower pace they ate about 70 less calories and remained with a feeling of fullness(satiety) an hour after completing the meal. The women also made remarks on ejoying the slower paced meal more.

Eating slower and properly chewing your food may improve your digestion as well. Digestion starts in the mouth or the brain, depending on how you look at it. Before you even take your first bite and your senses realize you are about to eat the brain sends a message for the salivary glands to prepare for food and the saliva starts flowing. The more you chew and break down the food into smaller pieces, the easier the food is to digest and may make the nutrients become better absorbed by your body. So it might not hurt to slow down a little, relax and start enjoying your meal a little more.

Besides possibly helping with weight management and helping with digestion some people can find enjoyment and relaxation in a nice balanced meal. With everyone being extremely busy and it always seeming like there's never enough hours in a day, I know it may not be possible to sit down and "enjoy" a meal often. For the people that fit into this category, is it possible to have a nice slow-paced meal occasionally? I think it may help to relieve a little stress, give you an opportunity to spend some time with friends and family (or just have a little "me-time") and you may even enhance your health a little. Now that you have this information, will you try a personal self-study and see if slower eating can provide you with any benefits?

Quick tips for slower eating:
Have water with your meal and take a sip before each bite.
Put down your utensils in between bites.
Count your chews. In the study of 30 women I mentioned, the women were instructed to chew 15-20 times.

For additional information, please check out these links:

Japanese Study: Over 3000 people: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,442883,00.html

30 Women Study: http://www.flex-news-food.com/console/PageViewer.aspx?page=19754&am...

Digestion: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/optimumhealthessentials/a/Tips_Dige...


Brian Francis,CNC
www.herbalfix.biz

[Lindy Asimus]

Thanks Brian. Your blog post inspired a blog of my own on conscious living!

Here is a link to the Slow Food movement you might find of interest

[Brian Francis]

Hi Lindy, Thank you for commenting on my blog. I appreciate it. I thought the information was really interesting. I do agree about the wine. That many sips might turn my meal into happy hour. LOL. In one article I read about the topic, one of the experts did recommend wine with your meal. She mentioned it helping you to enjoy your meal more and the health benefits of the antioxidants. Thank you for telling me about the 40 chews. I also agree about the social aspect of eating. I think that sometimes we lose touch with actually enjoying meals. My brother and I had a routine of meeting up once a week and having a meal and we used the meal to stay caught up on what was going on in each others lives. I look forward to the social aspect of food and the interacting with friends and family. The "when it is time" idea is interesting too. It seems as though we need to be 'reprogrammed' from some of the habits we are accustomed to. Thank you for all of your comments and for reading the blog. I appreciate it.

[Lindy Asimus]

I forgot to mention... the feeling empty issue goes with this too. We are often inclined to eat for reasons that are not hunger. In reality, it is very seldom that your average westerner is actually confonted with real hunger (homeless and the like aside). Too often we reach for food when we are merely peckish... or even more strangely, 'when it is time' whether we are at all hungry or not!

[Lindy Asimus]

I would disagree with the water with each bite. A sip of wine perhaps ;-) We are accustomed these days to eating fast and washing the food down with a drink, and indeed, this sometimes is the reason people stop taking the time to properly chew their food and allow it to be digested more readily. A boon for the pharmaceutical companies selling medicines for indegestion.

When I was growing up, the number was 40 times to chew before swallowing. It helps to stop and savour the flavour during eating, and not consider it a race. Which is why sitting at a table and not watching the TV is a good habit to cultivate. Food is social, not just about 'fuel'.

Of course one could always try the trick that works with dogs that bolt their food - put a brick in the bowl to have to eat around. ;-)