HOW You Eat Is Just As Important As WHAT You Eat

That’s right, folks. If you’re like me, you likely put most of your thoughts and energy around food choice towards WHAT you are eating. Most people think of good nutrition as kind of a numbers game; meaning that if you have the right amount of nutrients, and if you avoid certain junk foods or toxins, and if you cut calories, then you'll have the best chance of greater nutritional health. And there is truth to this. However, I’d like to suggest that WHAT you eat is only half of the equation and that there's more to the story of good nutrition. The other half of the story is HOW we eat. By HOW we eat, I am talking about your thoughts, your emotional state, your level of stress when you eat and the level of attention and mindfulness that you're bringing to each meal.

There are 7 Secret Tools tools you can use to create more awareness and help you transform HOW you eat. I’d like to share one of these tools that has helped me change my eating process. It sounds simple, but it can be quite eye opening.

Put your fork, or utensil, down between bites at least 3 times during your meal.

This habit automatically slows your eating speed. Most of us Americans eat too fast, and as a result, take in too much food before we realize we have eaten enough. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. When you eat too quickly, your body just doesn’t have the time to go through its natural signaling process, which involves a variety of hormones and feedback loops between your gut and your brain.

I invite you to try it out this week!