Most of us live on the run. We run from side to side, always thinking of what we have to do next, without enjoying the present moment. However, eating on the go can have serious consequences.
It is common to devote as little time as possible to eating in order to continue other activities, or to eat even while doing other tasks such as watching TV or checking social networks. It seems to be an insignificant situation, but the reality is that this habit is harmful to our health.
Give yourself time to eat and enjoy your meal and avoid the consequences of overeating.
Eating fast will make you fat.
One of the first negative consequences of fast eating is weight gain. The reason, explained by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), is that you do not give stomach hormones time to send signals to the brain to warn you that you have had enough and, therefore, eat more than you should. Let’s eat
“When you don’t give the hormones produced in the stomach and intestines time to send signals to the brain (especially the hypothalamus, which controls eating), it doesn’t realize that the stomach is already sufficiently expanded and satisfied.” is,” and the same thing happens with the intestines. And although your body has met its needs, you continue to eat without stopping,” said Mariana Valdés Moreno, head of the Nutrilogy Program at the Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) of UNAM’s Zaragoza campus.
Over time, the signaling of hunger and satiety switches between the stomach, intestine, and brain. So you will always eat too much.
tip: It takes about 20 minutes for the brain to react to information received from hormones involved in the digestive process. When he is ordered to stop eating, he leaves it active for hours (between 3 and 5 hours).
You increase your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.
Swallowing, biting and chewing too quickly can be the starting point for many disorders. Several UNAM studies have shown that the speed of ingestion is not only related to the risk of presenting obesity, but also of suffering from cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension.
An investigation by the Network Biomedical Research Center for Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition—conducted among boys and girls ages 3 to 6—showed that children who eat fast are more likely to be overweight and have higher blood pressure. or blood sugar level.
And not only that: Other research found that chewing stimulates Th17 immune cells that may increase protection against bacterial infections: Your overall health will be rewarded if you eat slowly.
You’ll also benefit your brain because chewing properly activates the hippocampus, a brain area related to memory and spatial orientation.
Eating too often affects digestion.
It will take time for diabetes and other conditions to present, but in the short term you will see results on your health, including constipation. If you eat quickly and don’t take the time to chew thoroughly, the food will end up in your stomach in large chunks, making digestion difficult, which can lead to constipation and heaviness.
On the other hand, if you eat slowly and chew thoroughly, you will allow the gut bacteria to break down the food and your digestion will be better.
How to avoid eating fast
Now that you know the negative consequences of frequent eating, it’s time to start new habits, and we’re going to give you some tips:
1. Eat 5 meals a day, 3 strong and 2 collation. This is because, for example, if you eat breakfast too early and wait until noon to eat, you will feel hungrier and, therefore, eat more quickly. Ideally, there should not be more than 4 hours gap between one meal and the other.
2. Don’t eat all the time. Perhaps you may think that the solution to avoid falling into the above situation is to eat something light every now and then, but this is also a mistake as you will not give your body space to use up its energy stores during the fasting period.
3. Build a routine. Regarding the previous point, if you accustom your body to always eat at the same time, little by little you will form a habit and you will not feel cravings and hunger. We know it’s not always easy, but give it a try.
4. Chew about 40 times. Although it all depends on the food, if you chew the food until its texture is lost, not only will you be more conscious of the movement, but you will consume about 10% fewer calories.
5. Be aware. If you don’t take the time to eat slowly and consciously, your body won’t register your intake in the same way and you’ll end up eating unhealthy foods. What’s more, eating fast doesn’t allow food to absorb the salivary enzymes that break it down and favor nutrient absorption, so no matter how healthy what you eat, you may be losing some of its properties. Will lose
6. Enjoy. Finally, one good reason to slow down is so you’ll enjoy your meal. If you like to eat, you know that saliva allows the particles responsible for taste to activate in the taste buds and that if you eat over time, you will enjoy it more.
