Eating fast and not chewing enough, in general, causes you to eat more calories and so get fat besides producing other problems such as poor digestion, heartburn, gas or swollen belly, for example.
Eating too fast causes the stomach to not time to send signals to the brain that it is full and it is time to stop, which usually takes 15 to 20 minutes, resulting in a higher intake of food.
So, some of the consequences of eating fast can be:
1. Weight gain
The brain and stomach work together to control appetite, but this process is not instantaneous. By eating quickly, signs of satiety are not allowed to be transmitted to the brain, which takes 15 to 20 minutes to arrive, indicating that food is no longer needed because it is already full. This causes you to ingest more food, consuming more calories than your body needs, storing them as fat, and making you fat.
2. Poor digestion
When eating fast there is an increased risk of indigestion because the food is not chewed properly, taking longer to be digested by the stomach, causing symptoms such as burning sensation, heartburn, reflux and heavy stomach feeling, for example.
Swollen belly
The fact that eating too fast can cause abdominal distention due to two factors, namely that the digestion process is slower, swallowing larger pieces of food, slowing the intestinal transit, and second, it is more easy to swallow air causing the belly to become swollen, causing belching and gas.
4. Increased risk of heart disease
Since eating fast can lead to weight gain, there is a greater risk of developing heart disease, especially if fat accumulates in the abdominal region. This happens because the excess of fats in the blood facilitates the formation of fat plaques that can hinder the passage of blood and even dislodge and obstruct the vessels, generating a stroke or heart attack, for example.
Generally, other diseases that are related include, high blood pressure, increased triglycerides in the blood, increased bad cholesterol and decrease in good cholesterol.
5. Increased risk of diabetes
Eating quickly causes a hormone called insulin, which is responsible for regulating the entry of blood sugar into cells, raise their levels by varying the amount of blood sugar, which in conjunction with weight gain and abdominal fat can develop over time a diabetes.
What to do to eat more slowly
Some tips for eating slower, improving digestion and lowering the risk of obesity include:
- Dedicate to the meal for at least 20 minutes, in a quiet and quiet place;
- Being focused on the meal, avoiding distractions, such as eating in front of the television or on the worktable, for example;
- Cut foods into smaller pieces to make them easier to chew;
- Stop between each fork to reflect whether it is full or not;
- Chew about 20 to 30 times the food ; and for those foods that are softer in consistency, about 5 to 10 times.
In addition, there are other techniques, such as tangerine meditation, in which it is recommended to eat the fruit slowly, reflecting on the process of nature to produce it and the work necessary to reach the table, feeling its aroma and tasting the sweet and citrusy flavor.
