This past weekend I was talking to a friend who shared she and her family rarely have time to sit down together and enjoy a meal. The kids are always out with friends or at activities and both she and her husband are so busy during the day that neither feels like cooking an entire meal when they get home. She felt like finding a way to change their dynamic would require a huge overhaul.
That’s when I asked something that to her seemed out of left field, I said are you all fast or slow chewers? She was shocked thinking I hadn’t heard a word she said and then said, fast I guess, we are always on the go.
Then I went on to share with her that just by chewing slowly, that can be the first and most important step to regaining some ease in the body and actually be a path back to family dinner time.
Stay with me, here’s the real secret and you can begin this today. You know the team and I here at healthy life hub belief that health CAN BE simplified so you can live life optimized. Today, it’s all about chewing slowly.
Yup, chewing slowly is one very simple way to give you a few moments of much-needed ease into your system. It aids in enhanced digestion so you body can actually absorb the nutrients you are feeding it and assimilate them into energy and fuel for better function. Chewing slowly allows you the chance to tune in and become mindful shutting down all other distractions that can otherwise keep your brain and body in a constant heightened state of stress.
There are so many incredible benefits that come along with chewing your food slowly from increased caloric burn ( research out of Japan shows that chewing each bite up to 30 times burns 10 calories for every 300 eaten) to enhanced digestion, less stress, more energy, less snacking and greater satiety.
What I think may be the best reason of all to chew slowly is it gives you the opportunity to slow down and connect around food with the ones you love. Food is meant to both nourish our bodies and on an even more important level, our souls. It is an event to be experienced and enjoyed. A simple pleasure of life that can be so enriching on so many levels.
The next time life feels too rushed, remember to start by finding natural moments of pause. Wherever you are, when you eat, slow down, chew and give yourself a few moments to connect to you. Let the process build and use it as a point of inspiration to make time for a meal together with those you love. Maybe every night isn’t possible, so how about Sunday dinners? A time of the week when things are a bit more relaxed and there is space to prepare a great meal, sit down, take your time, talk, play games, notice the textures, the aromas, the tastes and most of all, notice the joy that comes when you give yourself the simple gift of being present and it can begin just by chewing slowly.
Be sure to share your dinner time inspiration story and what you noticed by chewing slowly.
Live Life Optimized,
Dr. Melissa
