One Bite At A Time

Chew your food - all the way -  to help aid in digestion and weight loss and to help prevent bloating, gas, constipation. The longer we chew our food, the better. Chewing starts the digestion process, so the more we chew our food into the smallest possible pieces, the better our body is able to absorb nutrients in our food, and move through our esophagus easier and down into our stomach.

Think about it, when we aren't really chewing our food all the way, or worse - scarfing it down - bigger chunks of food are stuck trying to move through our system, not only making us feel bloated, but not giving us time to realize our tanks are full and we've eaten enough food and shouldn't still be hungry!

One of the healthy lifestyle strategies I coach my clients on when reviewing their food journal is to think about and write down how much time it takes to consume each meal and snack, to take smaller bites and to be mindful in taking more time to eat (15-25 minutes vs. 2-5 minutes as many Americans do), and to chew longer. Even when you've made a smoothie with any food ingredients like spinach/kale or banana (any fruit or veggie), it's important to start the digestion process with salvia from chewing, so be sure to not just gulp your smoothie or sip without mimicking chewing, especially the first few sips!

A great strategy is to put your fork/spoon down in between bites to slow down the process, both of time it takes to eat and to slow down the digestion process! And, it's good table manners.

Cheers to Chewing and Really Enjoying Each Bite, "One Bite At A Time"!