Adopting a new eating style has many benefits

By Jessi Raechelle

© you ever notice how long
it takes to eat a meal with
chopsticks? At the end of the

meal, you have a feeling of satisfaction
rather than being in pain because you
stuffed your self too full (kind of like after
a Thanksgiving dinner). Ever wonder

why people from Asian countries are
more petite than those in North America?
Maybe it’s not so much in what they eat,
but how they eat.

A few weeks ago, I was eating a
meal with chopsticks as opposed to a fork
and realised that when using chopsticks,
the meal seemed to last longer. Not only
did the meal last longer, but I didn’t feel
overly stuffed at the end of the meal as a
result of eating my food way too fast. I
felt better, had more room for dessert and
had leftovers for the next day —a win-win
situation.

In North America we have gotten
used to the idea of fast food and fast
meals. Who can be bothered to take their
time eating dinner when there are errands
to run and soccer practices to attend?
Now, we could put the blame on Ronald
McDonald; however, it is not just the
fast food restaurants. We live in a world
that promotes rushing through a meal
altogether— eating and preparing it. When
walking through the grocery store, over
half of the store is pre-packaged foods.
Of those pre-packaged foods, more than
half of them are either “ready to eat”
or are advertised as ready in as little as
ten minutes. So after preparing our ten-
minute meal, we then proceed to shovel it
in our mouths with a fork, creating a meal
that lasts about as long as it took to make.

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So slow down your eating! Along
with feeling better, eating slower is
actually better for your health. Eating
slower helps proper digestion because
you are actually chewing your food. In
turn, your body doesn’t have to work
as hard later. The more your digestive
system has to overwork the weaker it
gets, and a weak digestive system leads
to a lower immune system. As well as
helping your digestive system, you can
loose approximately 20 pounds per year
by eating slower! The reason for this is
simply the fact that when you eat slower,
it allows more time for your brain to
inform you that you are full. Not over
indulging in food that your body doesn’t
need means less caloric in-take.

So instead of using a fork to eat
your meals, try using a set of chopsticks.
Sure, you could tell yourself I’ll count
how many times I chew to make my
meals last and help my digestive system.
Realistically, how long is that going to
last? Using chopsticks makes it easy to
slow down without having to remember
to count. Instead of counting in your head,
you can listen to the other people at the
dinner table.

We need to get back to enjoying our
meals. It may be frustrating when trying
to pick up a single grain of rice but look
at it this way, compared to eating with a
fork, chopsticks pick up less than half the
food. This means it may take you twice
as long to eat your meal. If you’re out to
dinner with a friend or significant other,
taking twice as long at the restaurant
not only gives you more time for
conversation but it also feels like your
getting more for your money.