HOW NOT TO EAT TOO MUCH?
“Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” – Michael Pollan.
I was frequently asked the above question in my medical practice. I will try my best to answer this question for my readers as I see it. Renown food author M. Pollan’s sound advice, on this regard, reminded me a famous Turkish saying about eating:” Oz ye, Az ye, yavas ye.” Meaning, eat real food, eat slowly and eat small amount.
I believe the precursor for every action we take is thinking. Therefore, in order to not eat too much, the first thing we should do before we eat is to think about it, by asking the following questions to think by:
Q 1- Why am I eating? Am I eating because I am hungry or because I am supposed to eat three meals a day? Am I eating because I am bored?
A 1 – We shouldn’t eat if we aren’t hungry. We don’t have to eat three meals a day. Our ancient ancestors never ate three meals a day. We shouldn’t eat because we are bored or upset. Food is not a tranquillizer drug; it will not help our psychological problems except to add more to it. We should only eat if we are hungry. The hunger feeling is created through the gut – brain axis when our body needs extra calories and nutrients.
Q 2 – What kind of food should I eat?
A 2 - Eat real food that are products of nature, organic and unaltered. Yes, there is plenty of food around, but they are not product of nature, they are the product of food industry. They are genetically modified, altered, produced in copious amounts by using artificial fertilizer and chemicals, highly processed by adding extra sugar, fat, salt and protective chemicals for a long shelf-life. They are cheaper, easy to prepare and eat. But they are rich in empty calories, which we don’t need and poor in nutritional value. So, you should choose natural, organic, wholesome foods to eat, but only when you are hungry.
Q 3 – Why and how do I eat slow?
A 3 - Don’t ever eat in hurry. You could choke on your food and you wouldn’t enjoy it. If you noticed, every overweight or obese person eats very fast, hardly chewing their food. Our taste buds are in our mouth, and once we swallow our food, we can no longer taste it. In order to enjoy the food, we should taste it and smell it. For this, we should keep food in our mouth for longer period, by chewing it multiple times, and mixing it with our saliva, until it becomes semi-liquid, and then swallowing it. Our teeth are made for chewing, more than for biting. Our saliva, just like our pancreas, has many digestive enzymes, and chewing food provides the first stage of digestion. Food that is swallowed fast, without much chewing causes indigestion, gas, bloating and abdominal discomfort.
The other benefit of chewing our food for multiple times (at least 20 times) is that it makes us eat slow and eat less, because physiologically, in about 20 minutes, a fullness and satiety feeling develops that prevent us from eating more. Fast eaters who chew very little, can consume plenty of food calories, during this 20-minute period.
Q 4 – Why is eating alone not good for us?
A 4 - Eating is a ritual in traditional food culture. Food is always shared with family members, friends and acquaintances. Eating together renews the bond among people and exchanges pleasantries. Studies have shown that when people eat alone, they eat more. Eating alone adds to the loneliness feeling. Because nobody is watching them as to how much they eat and because, they usually either watch TV or read while they are eating, so they are not really aware of how much or how fast they’re eating.
Q 5 – What is mindful eating and how does it add to the enjoyment of food?
A 5 - Mindful eating is clearing the mind of every thought and paying full attention to the food you are eating and the eating process itself. You have to see the food, to smell the food, to taste the food, to feel the texture of the food in your mouth by using all your senses and, eating slowly to appreciate the pleasure of food you are eating.
Q 6 – What is chrono - nutrition, I keep hearing about it?
A 6 - Chrono-nutrition is timed eating according to the circadian rhythm. Our body is physically and metabolically is most active in morning and daytime. The food eaten at this time is mostly utilized for energy production for these activities. Food and snacks eaten late at night are not utilized, because it is rest time for our body and metabolism. The calories that are not utilized turn into fat and become deposited in our fat tissue. That is how we gain weight.
Naturally, thinking before you eat is not enough. You also need determination, strong willpower and persistence to achieve your goal. Giant food industries, with their yearly, $14 billion advertising budgets, are brain washing you 24/7 to eat more of their fast food products. They don’t really care what happens to you when you overeat.
