Nov
18
Written by:
KiwiFit
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:59:28 GMT
I am a bit of a people watcher. A couple of nights ago my husband and I were out for a lovely dinner and I found myself (discreetly) watching a large extended family of all ages, shapes and sizes out celebrating a birthday.
It was fascinating to watch as the waitresses brought their meals to the table and how the various people approached their food as it was placed before them. A few stopped and admired their plates, and looked at what others had chosen. Some placed their napkins on their laps and took a sip of wine while waiting for the remainder of the table to be served. Others launched straight into their meal as if it were to be their last.
It may sound like a generalisation when I say this, but those who wolfed down their meals were without exception quite a lot bigger. One man in my direct line of vision was very overweight and I honestly did not see him chew more than four times on a mouthful of food and his loaded fork was waiting at his lips before the last mouthful was swallowed. Yet those who seemed to savour their meals, ate slowly and chewed well, and engaged with and enjoyed the company of the other guests appeared to be a far healthier weight.
Hardly a scientific experiment I know! But research shows that your Mothers’ advice to slow down when you eat was correct.
A very recent study led by Dr Alexander Kokkinos at Athens University Medical School in Greece has clearly shown that that shovelling down your food blocks the body's natural appetite-control process.
"Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating," Kokkinos said.
If you would like to read the article, follow the attached link here.
Food for thought? Do you need to slow down and focus on the taste, texture and aroma of every bite?
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