Watch what you eat and see the difference

Watch what you eat and see the difference

Your mother might have told you one too many times to concentrate on your food, chew slowly, and then swallow. You would be surprised to know that your mother is right all along. One of the least-known secrets to losing weight and staying healthy is to watch what you eat.

Eating consciously can be a chore for some people, because they tend to overthink about the calories they consume and the nutrient content of the food before them. Food is a primary thought category for most people. If they’re not obsessing about whether or not what’s on their plate is good for them, they think about how it was prepared, how much it costs, what it would taste like with this or that seasoning…the list just goes on and on.

So if you are one of those people who are already set on the path to weight loss, you have to take note of what you eat. Here are some easy-to-follow tips for you.

Focus on eating only.

This might be difficult for most of us who are so good at multitasking. We eat while we watch the TV, work, use the computer/mobile phone, catch up on the latest gossip at the office. You will rarely come across someone who is just eating and not doing anything else.

Concentrating on the food you’re eating helps your mind and body realize that it’s already full. If you are distracted by a hundred and one things, you will end up eating more than your stomach can actually handle.

Chew and swallow properly.

Like I said, your mother was right to order you to chew your food well. Chewing reduces the food into manageable sizes that our stomach can digest more easily.  If you take too large a bite of your steak and gulf it down immediately, you are likely to choke on a good-sized chunk of meat.

Follow the food as it slides down your esophagus and feel how it settles into your stomach. This way you’ll know that you’ve already had enough and can now stop eating.

Drink plenty of fluids.

Sometimes you may think you’re hungry when in fact you’re just thirsty. So before you reach for that huge steaming plate of cheesy lasagne, drink a glass of water or juice first. And if you’re still hungry afterwards, you’ll feel full much faster because of your fluid intake prior to eating. This will surely make you eat much less than if you did not drink anything first.