Monday, February 15, 2010

Eat slowly and stop when you are full

Another cause of overeating is mindless eating where we eat on autopilot. The problem with this type of eating is that we tend to keep eating until there is no food left, without any thought as to whether we had long since satisfied our hunger. The best counter to this is to eat mindfully - don't be distracted. .Eating food quickly is a guaranteed way to eat too much. A good way of slowing down your eating is to chew your food slowly and put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls

When you've got your chosen food in front of you, eat it slowly and put down your knife and fork between mouthfuls. Enjoy your food, take time to chew it, let it give you its full texture, test and pay attention to every sensation you are experiencing. When you pause between mouthfuls, ask yourself if you are still hungry. If you find you are full, stop eating - there is no need to clear your plate. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to signal the stomach that it is full, so eat slowly you will eat smartly. I know people who can finish a pizza in 20 minutes and know others who can barely finish a Caesar salad. Think about it!