Many benefits come from slowing down the speed at which we eat our meals. A slower pace can improve our digestion, allow us to be satisfied with the taste, smell and texture of food, and provide our body's with the opportunity to feel full before consuming more calories than we need. Here are some tips to taking more time to finish your meal:
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๐๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ. Eating while driving, watching TV, on the computer or texting takes your focus away from the food.
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๐๐ฉ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก-๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ . Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains boost the fibre and could help you slow down.
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๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ. Take this time to chew, swallow and breathe before your next mouthful. If youโre eating with other people, enjoy the conversation.
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๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐. Treat this as an experiment to see how many chews you normally take compared to the most you could do
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๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ. The smaller surface area will make the food take up more room and can help with controlling portions. Using small utensils or chopsticks can limit the amount you consume at each bite, making your meal go further.
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๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ญ. Try to set aside at least 20-30 minutes for each meal so that you donโt have to rush through it to meet other commitments. Fueling your body and spending time with friends or family is important and should be set as a priority in your day.
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This is a new habit/goal so take your time and practice. Donโt be too hard on yourself if you find it difficult to slow down. It is a work in progress!
