Want to avoid overeating? Eat slowly

With long working hours in office, one ends up eating without a check on the quantity and this results in more intake of food. By eating slowly, choosing satisfying food and maintaining a food journal you can stay away from overeating.

Sonia Narang, nutrition expert of Oriflame India, shares things that work best to avoid overeating.

nEat slowly. Chew every bite of your food properly. This is to slow us down when we eat. Research led by Mark Gold, MD at the University of Florida at Gainesville, US, has shown it takes 12 or more minutes for food satisfaction signals to reach the brain of a thin person, but 20 or more minutes for an obese person. Eating slowly ensures that these important messages have time to reach the brain.

nBe aware. Remain focused and aware of what you are eating. Usually overeating happens when you are concentrating on the things around you other than on the food, like reading newspaper or watching TV. The brain probably can’t register what is being put in the mouth and the pattern of eating, and then overeating continues. 

nMake the first bites count. It is believed that maximum food enjoyment comes in the initial bites. After a few bites, taste buds start to lose their sensitivity to the chemicals in food that make it taste good. Satisfy your taste buds by really savoring those first few bites. This may help you stop eating when you’re physically comfortable.

 —IANS