Why it is important to eat your food slowly, and how you can do that

It is important to exercise discipline when it comes to food — not only in terms of what you eat, but also how you eat it. Experts say that it is a good idea to slow down while having a meal, so as to be more mindful of what you eat and to improve digestion.

According to nutrition Bhakti Kapoor, there are seven things to do in order to slow down; these are:
1. Pause to say a prayer before your meal.2. Put the cutlery in your non-dominant hand.3. Place the cutlery down while chewing.4. When eating a sandwich or a wrap, place it down when chewing.5. Take slow deep breaths while chewing.6. Savour the flavour while chewing your food.7. Reflect on the blessings your food provides the body.

Kapoor explained in the caption that digestion plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. “The problem is, with all the stress that comes with our daily lives, most of us live in a continuous fight or flight mode which does not support digestion. It’s very important to be in a calmer state before eating,” she wrote.

“Our involuntary nervous system is broken up into our sympathetic nervous system (SNS), ‘fight or flight’ system and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), ‘rest and digest’ system. When we are in a sympathetic or stressed state, most of the blood flow in the body rushes from the GI to the periphery of the body, brain and vision. Digestion halts in the presence of stress, so to have optimal digestion one must be in a parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ state,” she explained.
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