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The Dangers of Eating too Fast
Most of us have heard that fast food isn't that good for us, but how about fast eating?
There are healthy and unhealthy foods, but there are also healthy and unhealthy ways of eating that food.
"Wolfing" down your food doesn't supply your body with the identical nutritional benefits as would eating slowly and totally chewing every mouthful of your food before swallowing.
Besides being an obvious choking hazard when someone eats too fast and also running the risk of getting an upset stomach because large chucks of food are being shoveled down the hatch, there are other less obvious dangers of fast eating.
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Would you be shocked to know that eating a healthy organic meal at a very rapid rate can increase your chances of heart disease, diabetes and stroke?
"Medical News Today" lists the risks of fast eating:
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- High blood pressure
- High triglycerides
- High fasting blood sugar
- Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the "good" cholesterol
- A large waistline
It is difficult to believe that eating too fast has anything to do with these conditions, but read on!
A Japanese Study Shows "Wolfing Down" Food Could Be a Killer:Cardiologist Takayuki Yamaji from Hiroshima University in Japan was the lead author of the study, which involved nearly 1,100 generally healthy male and female participants over a five period. The average age of the participants was being around 51. Study subjects were divided into three groups, each categorizing themselves as slow, normal or fast eaters.
Over the five years there was double the occurrence of pre-diabetes in the fast eaters, as compared to the slow eaters, but why?
1. First of all, salivary enzymes get to work more efficiently when food is thoroughly chewed. These enzymes start breaking down carbohydrates and fats in the mouth, before they even hit the stomach. This gives the rest of the digestive system a head start.
2. The rest of the digestive system doesn't have to work so hard to break down the food.
3. The food is more completely broken down, more nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream and less pass through undigested.
4. Fast eaters don't feel full as quickly as slow eaters, so they tend to eat more.
How do you change from a fast eater to a slow eater?Time is a very precious commodity and some people feel like they can't "afford" to spend so much time eating. Eating meals should be a time of enjoyment, relaxation and reduced stress, which should increase productivity and work time creativity. The bottom line is that you can't afford to eat fast!1. Take only one normal sized forkful at a time, which isn't how much can balance on the fork at a time.
2. Put down your fork after every forkful.
3. Count your chews. You should be chewing each forkful of food slowly for at least 32 times.
4. We are creatures of habit and this will soon become your new normal.