Five Reasons To Eat Slowly And Enjoy Your Food

May 21, 2018May 18, 2018

I’ll be the first to admit that I can eat way too fast at times and I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy my meal. When you are busy and eating to fuel your body, meal time can turn into a chore or a forgotten moment in time. In today’s fast paced lifestyle where sit down meals are becoming more rare, inhaling our food can be easy. However, current research suggests that eating at a slower pace can give the body a better chance to feel satisfied and enjoy the food which leads to less mindless overeating.

Slow eating can also help control blood sugar and have a positive impact on one’s overall health. If you are like me , and have to remind yourself to eat a little slower from time to time, here are five reasons to give you some incentive.

1. Your body needs time to tell you that you’re full.

It takes approximately 20 minutes for your body to signal that you’re full, so people who eat at a faster pace can overeat before they even know it’s happening. When you eat slower you give your body a chance to let you know that you’ve eaten the right amount of food. This works as a great motivator for most people because none of us like feeling “stuffed”. It’s uncomfortable!

2. Eating fast can cause indigestion.

When we start to eat, our body goes through a multi-step digestive process. If you eat too quickly, your body isn’t ready for the incoming food which can lead to indigestion. Ugh!

3. Slow eaters are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome.

People who eat fast are more likely to have the conditions, known as metabolic syndrome, that can lead to future cardiovascular disease. Those conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol. While eating slower alone doesn’t make you bullet proof, it can certainly help contribute to better health.

4. Eating slower can positively affect your weight.

By slowing down when we eat, we become more aware of when we’re full, and are more likely to stop eating when our bodies have had enough. This helps limit overeating and consuming more energy than your body may need.

5. take a break to enjoy your food.

Eating should be an opportunity for all of us to take a moment and enjoy the food in front of us and the company around us. I always eat great food, but sometimes I eat it so fast that I don’t really appreciate all of the great flavors and textures. If we treated most of our meal times like fine dining experiences, I believe we would be more likely to savor every bite even when you’re eating something as simple as a bowl of soup or a sandwich.

Slowing down to eat a meal helps us to become more present and to take a break from the busyness of the day which can lower stress and improve your overall sense of well being. There is a reason why sitting down for a long meal is one of the top ways that we relax and connect with one another.

Please remember that everyone eats too fast and even overeats from time to time. Don’t ever beat yourself up or feel guilty about anything food related, ever. Guilt can stress you out which is NEVER helpful. Taking care of your health is a long term effort and it’s all about balance. None of us are perfect. 🙂

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and mindful week!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

Just Say No To The Diet Trap!

January 4, 2016May 9, 2017

Today’s article comes from deep within my heart.

It’s a brand new year and for many people a new year means fresh new goals and/or resolutions. If your goal is to lose weight, it can be really tempting to try the latest fad diet that the fitness or diet industry is promoting. It’s a normal human response to be intrigued by all the marketing that these industries roll out in January… especially if you’ve gained a few pounds over the holidays.

Before you jump on board and commit to a new diet, it’s important you know that temporary, restrictive diets have a 95% failure rate and can do more harm than good.

Have you ever suffered through the physical and emotional torment of the latest fad diet simply to find yourself unsuccessful and frustrated?

Or, maybe you lost a bunch of weight only to gain it back again. Even worse, you gained back more than you lost.

You are not alone. As a personal trainer I have seen and even personally experienced so much physical and psychological damage from dieting, it makes me want to scream!

Some of the reasons diets fail you are:

They slow down your metabolism
They cause you to store fat, not burn it
They’re unsustainable for most people’s lifestyle
When you stop starving yourself and go back to a normal calorie-consumption, you WILL gain weight
Lack of energy due to being hungry
Some diets ask you to eliminate entire food groups and key nutrients
They can cause binge eating
They can cause stress which is known to cause belly fat due to hormonal changes in the body

Look, I get it. You want to get thinner and you want it now. Most of us do not want to wait the amount of time it takes to lose weight that statistically stays off for life. The diet industry is counting on that and the marketing is very convincing!

Losing weight and keeping it off for good without dieting starts with a change in mindset. The mindset that you are going to switch to healthy eating. Eating for health and dieting to lose weight do not always look the same. Things like portion control, cutting back the foods and or liquids that you know are excessive, avoiding overly processed foods, and meal planning are all considered healthy eating, not starvation diets or skipping meals entirely.

HERE ARE SIX TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING

1) You need to eat. It absolutely amazes me that there are still diets out on the market today that recommend dangerously low calorie meal plans when the science says otherwise. Your body will get really good at storing what it doesn’t get enough of. For example, if you eliminate fat from your diet, your body will not want to burn fat. It will want to store fat. Sound nutritional research tells us that you need to eat fat in order to burn fat. I am a firm believer that the low fat and low carb craze has contributed heavily to the obesity crisis in the United States.

Instead of restricting what you eat, you’ll find more success when you focus on a balanced diet that is centered around whole foods. A balanced diet includes carbohydrates, proteins, fruits & vegetables, healthy fats, and water. Any diet that cuts one of these important nutrients out should be avoided.

2) Exercise almost every day. Do your best to exercise six days per week. Try an interval workout 2-3 times per week and alternate with more moderate activity on the rest of the days.

Choose a fun activity on your off day like a moderate hike, cross country skiing, swimming, or taking your kids or your dog to the park.

If exercising six days per week seems overwhelming, start with 20 minutes per day 2-3 days per week . You’ll still get better results than doing nothing at all.

3) Eat in. This is the biggest tip I can give you. Cook at home for the next 30 days and bring your lunch. Use light recipes from sources like EatingWell, Cooking Light, and Health magazine.

4) Cut back on liquid calories. Try substituting alcohol, sodas, and other higher calorie drinks with water. Try adding lemon or cucumber for some variation.

If cutting out liquid calories sounds extreme, take a more moderate approach and cut down to half or even a quarter of what you usually drink. You can always go back to your normal consumption if you want to. This is about figuring out what works for you personally.

5) Cut back on dessert. Desserts are usually loaded with calories. If you have a sweet tooth, try substituting with fruit or one piece of dark chocolate.

6) Be authentically you. It’s really important that you pay close attention to what’s most important to you. Not everyone wants to be or was designed to look like the models on the cover of fitness magazines. If challenging yourself to reach an elite athlete status is fun for you and you can achieve it in a healthy way, then by all means go for it! However, if you know in your heart of hearts you’d just like to live a long healthy life, fit in your jeans, and have the stamina to do the activities you enjoy without a whole lot of restrictions in your life, then general health and fitness is for you so please don’t beat yourself up because you’re not “doing whatever it takes” to look like a fitness model.

I recommend you try my suggestions above for the next 30 days and stay consistent. However, If this all seems a bit overwhelming, pick as many things from above that you can realistically implement right away and stay consistent. Diet and exercise are very personal which is why a canned approach rarely works. We all have different lives, different goals, and different needs. 🙂

To your long term health and fitness!
Jennifer

Is Sugar Bad For You?

July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

Every time you turn around there’s another article or TV special telling you sugar is bad! It’s enough to make you want to throw your chocolate chip cookie right out the window. Before you chuck the cookie or feel guilty for eating it, let’s look at this from a more moderate perspective.

I do agree that too much added sugar in our diets contributes to obesity and may even be toxic. However, I don’t agree with blaming the nation’s obesity and health issues on sugar alone. Processed foods, lack of sleep, stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and over-sized portions are all contributing factors as well.

Let’s face it. Most of us like a sweet treat now and then. And, that’s okay. The concern is that most Americans are getting too much added sugar in their diets. Things like sodas, energy drinks, and even coffee drinks are responsible for the majority of the sugar consumption.

Yes, you can eat your sugar and be healthy too!

1) Treat it like dessert! Read your labels. If sugar is in the first three ingredients on a label then consider that food like a dessert. Try substituting fruit for added sugar in cereals and yoghurt. Add a teaspoon of honey or agave nectar if it’s still too tart.

2) Moderation is key! For example, the American Heart Association statement recommends that women limit themselves to about 6 teaspoons of sugar a day, or about 100 calories. Men should aim for about 9 teaspoons a day, or 150 calories. Just how much sugar is that? A 12-oz. can of regular soda contains eight teaspoons of sugar, or about 130 calories.

3) Drink more water! Try substituting water or plain iced tea for drinks that have added sugar. If you like carbonation then consider investing in a soda machine and make your own sparkling water.

4) Cook from scratch! Processed food usually has sugar added for flavor and/or for preserving food. When you cook your own meals, you control how much sugar goes into the meal. It is not uncommon for me to use honey or raw sugar in a stir fry recipe. However, it’s a measured amount.

You don’t have to become a gourmet cook. Choose 20 minute recipes from magazines like Health and Cooking Light.

5) Choose wisely! Start tracking how much sugar you eat daily. Pay attention to the foods you really enjoy and which ones you could live without. Treat your daily sugar intake like a bank account and decide how you want to spend it. Substitute non-sugar choices or a piece of fresh fruit for the foods that are not that special to you. Make it worth it!

6) Avoid high-fructose corn syrup! There’s a lot of controversy about this one. However, I personally believe that the chemicals in high-fructose corn syrup are suspect, and I tell my clients to avoid it. I believe our bodies will do a much better job of metabolizing food that hasn’t been altered with a bunch of chemicals. There are so many other “natural’ sweets that you can substitute. Why take the risk? If you see this ingredient on the label, put it down!

7) Use it before and after exercise! A great time to consume sugar is when you will use it most. A piece of fruit before a workout is really good for fueling your workout. Low fat/high sugar is great after a high intensity workout. This would be the time to eat that yoghurt with the honey or evaporated cane juice!

Hopefully this will help you treat sugar with respect rather than be afraid of it. Avoid a lot of added sugar and use natural forms of it in moderation. You don’t have to eliminate it entirely, just know you don’t need a lot of it!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you have a favorite sweet treat you’d like to share. I love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!