We’ve all heard the phrase ‘You are what you eat’, and it’s pretty obvious that if you only fuel yourself with fat-rich, processed foods, that will reflect itself in your body. If we want to look lean then we should be eating a nutritionally balanced natural diet, but eating is a two-part story comprising ingestion and digestion.
If we are ‘what’ we eat, then we are also ‘how’ we eat.
Aiding the body’s ability to digest not only allows it to extract the necessary nutrients, but it also makes it less likely to be stored.
Keep a good posture
Busy life can mean eating on the move, standing up, or whilst watching TV. Sitting at the table forces a good posture and can really aid digestion. It’s a positive way to spend time with your family, and can also enhance your mood.
Chew
Taking time to chew properly allows your stomach to prepare for a meal, and it also give our brains time to register when we are full. The longer you take over a meal, the more likely you are to be sated before the end.
Leave food
We’ve probably always been told that leaving food is not only rude, but wasteful too. Don’t feel guilty about leaving a small amount. Clearing our plates can result in piling on the pounds and, if you let your brain tell you when you are full, you may find that you aren’t as hungry as you thought.
Avoid drinking too much
Too much fluid can cause indigestion or bloating, and can restrict digestion. If you drink enough during the day, you shouldn’t need to fill up with water at mealtimes.
Take a walk
A gentle 15-minute walk straight after eating boosts the rate at which the body digests, has a positive effect on our moods, and will increase our daily step count.