Do you eat slowly or at speed?
You might want to rethink this if you are a wolfer rather than a nibbler. Eating fast does horrendous things to your digestive system, makes you far more likely to develop metabolic problems and gain weight. And if that wasn’t enough it increases your risk of a heart attack.
Remember, your teeth are there for a reason – they are designed to CHEW! And you should chew until your food is virtually liquid. You cannot do this if your mouthful is too big as you need to make room to chew and you will probably swallow part of the mouthful to be able to chew the remainder. Look at the amount you have on your fork – if you have to open your mouth more than an inch there’s too much on it.
Can you see all your teeth in that bite of sandwich? Too much – you should only see the front teeth – these are for biting – everything behind the incisors is for chewing not biting. And if you are eating something a little indulgent take even smaller mouthfuls – really nibble that biscuit. Every mouthful gives you mouthfeel – this is the bit that makes you feel satisfied – and you can get loads of satisfaction from only one biscuit. Go on – how long can you make that biscuit last? My record was about 15 nibbles and after that I felt that I didn’t need a second one. I can guarantee if I’d eaten it in 3 or 4 bites I would definitely have gone for a 2nd one!
Great article Peta, I know a number of people who would benefit from this approach.