You are going to be blown away by how much more enjoyable and pleasant your meals are and how much better you feel after you eat when you take the time to LOVE your food, no matter what you are eating. (and this helps you lose weight!)--read on...
For some of us we just ignore food, overeat it or we are annoyed by it, thinking it is a neccessary evil and often we're just not paying close attention to any meal.
When people eat too quickly and they are not giving the hormonal cross talk system enought time to work, not only are they not knowing when they are full, but they are also not getting the feeling of PLEASURE that the brain is craving after eating.
I won't get in too deep about Leptin and/or Dopamine and how those hormones work in the body but if you are interested you can google search both and see for yourself about these hormones and they work in regards to food and hunger.
But in short Leptin (a hormone acting mainly in the regulation of appetite and fat storage) interacts with Dopamine (a chemical messenger that carries signals between brain cells) in the brain to produce a feeling of pleasure.
When the cross talk system doesn't work and the brain doesn't experience pleasure from eating, the brain actually says "EAT MORE".
The brain wants to be satisfied by the experience and wants to indulge in the full sensual pleasure of eating, no matter what it is.
Your digestive system and your metabolism work most efficiently when you allow yourself the entire process and sensual pleasure of eating.
There is something called the Cephalic Phase Digestive Response (CPDR) which describes all the stuff that's happening in your head when you encounter a meal.
Research has shown that as much as 30-40% of the total digestive response of a meal is in response to the Cephalic Phase Digestive Response-our total awareness of and presence in, the eating experience.
In short, THE MORE WE ARE AWARE AND PRESENT while we are eating, the more effect we will have with digesting the meal and feeling a pleasant feeling while doing it.
If you're not present and aware of the eating experience you're actually missing 30-40% of your DIGESTIVE POWER. You are decreasing nutrient absorption and slowing down your metabolism. And NO ONE WANTS THAT!!!
The more awareness and presence you bring to each meal, the less you will need to eat no matter what the food is.
TELL ME HOW!!!
Make your meal a sensual experience by
~SIGHT--make a colorful plate of food
*savor the rainbow colors of your food, the awesomeness of nature's bounty--all of which grows in the earth and is fed from the rain and sun!
~SMELL--actually take the time to smell the food you are about to eat
*Bring the food close up to your nose and inhale deeply so that you can smell and savor flavors like never before
~TOUCH--What's the texture of your food? Texture of the feel of the utensils? Of the napkin on your lap?
~ENVIRONMENT--take notice of the world and setting around you
*eating while driving can feel so stressful and kicks your body into a stress response and therefore digestion is rushed and your body can not digest the nutrients as it should
*keep your phone in your pocket, put on vibrate--make meal time distraction free to give your body all of it's attention to prevent mindless eating
~TEXTURE--chewing your food about 30 chews to slow down the process
*notice the texture in your mouth, breathe while chewing to allow the oxygen to pass through and highten the flavor
Making meal time a pleasant experience and falling in love with the food you eat, will slow things down and make you mindful of the food you are actually consuming. It will give your brain the time it needs to process fullness and will give you the power to decide if what and how much of whatever your chose, is worth every bite.
Savor and apprieciate the food and you will naturally eat less and have fewer cravings.
Go ahead and give this a try and let me know in a comment below if it has helped.
My love affair with chocolate has stood the test of time but now I am mindful of how much I actually need to satisfy my sweet tooth. Example: Instead of the whole bag of M&M's, by slowing down and savoring each one, I have decreased to only half the bag (family size--of course!!) Now go and ENOY the experience and LOVE YOUR FOOD! :)
Resouces: Health Care Institute