The Health Impact of Eating Too Fast.

Image of a man eating sandwich with his head raised.
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Is Eating Too Fast Healthy?

Fam, guess who I saw yesterday at exactly 13:52 pm wolfing down his lunch 😳

You needed to see how he was rushing his food.

I don't want to mention names but you know yourself…hehe.😀

Ok, let's talk about how you eat.

Do you know that you are three times more likely to gain weight when you eat your food too quickly compared to those that eat slowly?

Let me tell you a little story.

I had a friend back in the day named Favour. Favour was such a slow eater. I practically had to wait an extra 10 minutes for her to finish her plate of food every time we ate.

She would chew every bit of her yam meticulously as if there was nothing else to do for the day. I won’t lie to you o…it wasn’t funny.

She would gist in-between and continue.

I didn’t care about taking my time to chew my food. I was famished and all I cared about was my plate of food…the hotter, the better, you understand.😀

You know, Favour never added extra weight. She always looked healthy but I did gain a little weight. Don’t mind the sweet sixteen you are seeing now. ☺️ I had to learn to live better.

This was what I didn't know then but when I got to know my life became much better.

Eating your food too fast like the guy I saw yesterday has a negative impact on your health.

Don't ask me to call names, he pleaded that I shouldn't demonize him so I am sticking to my promise ☺️

1. You are at risk of being obese. Studies have shown that people that gulp down their food too quickly gain extra weights. How? It takes the stomach 20 minutes to send a signal to the brain that your body is full. When you rush your food, the stomach doesn’t have enough time to do that and you overeat.
2. 11.6% of fast eaters from a study carried out at Hiroshima University in Japan had higher chances of developing metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a family name for obesity around the waistline, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high levels of bad fats and low levels of good cholesterol. These factors are in turn triggers for coronary heart disease, stroke and other blood related diseases.
3. As obesity sets in, diabetes is no longer far. This happens because the food consumed stays longer and can trigger insulin resistance.
4. You can choke on your food and we don’t want that.
5. You also have high chances of experiencing acid reflux. This is as a result of the air that enters into the mouth while rushing the food with chewing properly. Studies show that fast eaters have 12.5 episodes of reflux when compared to their slow eating counterparts with 8.5 episodes.

It is not all gloomy so chill. A little change in your eating habit can fix all these.😀

What are my healthy eating recommendations for you?

1. Do not wait till you are starving before you look for food. When you are too hungry, you eat faster.
2. Try as much as you can to prepare your own meals instead of patronizing fast food joints always. After you are done with meal preparation, you tend to eat less. This is thanks to the fatigue you experience after meal preparation.
3. Once your food is ready:

• Set aside 20 minutes for your dining time.
• Eat your food slowly to aid digestion.
• Use cutleries (fork and knife). These will help you eat slowly.
• Chat in-between bites not with food in your mouth.
• Watch a movie as you eat. You will take a longer time to finish the food and your stomach will have ample time to send a signal to your brain that it is full.
• Drink water in-between.

Conclusion

Image of a man on apron savouring his dish.
(Image from freepik.com)

So when next you feel too hungry and want to attack your food, take a deep breath in and out.

Take your time to savor the meal.
Be intentional about your eating habit.

Let your eyes eat first, then your nostrils before your tongue gets a bite. This way, your whole body is involved in the process.

This is called "Mindful Eating."

Till I come your way next time, keep shining.

Your Cheerleader,
Chimdimma Nwachukwu.

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