We are How We Eat

A few days ago, I had a tight work schedule (and a long day at that). Anxious to meet my next client on time, I practically slurped a bowl of pho (Vietnamese noodles) in 10 minutes flat during lunch.

"No big deal," I hear you say. "That happens to me a lot." But have you ever noticed how your body felt--how YOU felt--the rest of the day when you did that? Did it help you feel less stressed because you've managed to keep things under control by accomplishing more than if you were to take a leisurely meal? Or did you actually feel more anxious?

For me, I couldn't stay focused almost through the entire day. I felt my anxiety taking over, like I had to keep stepping on the gas in the fast lane. I felt like a hamster on the wheel; I couldn't stop. It seems that when you speed things up hoping to gain control, you wind up losing control. Ironic, isn't it?

What happens when we eat fast is that our stomach and intestines strain to properly break down and assimilate food into our body. This contributes to our stress level both directly through indigestion, bloating, and cramping, and indirectly through failure to absorb essential nutrients.

So, our moms were right when they taught us to chew 20 times before swallowing. Here's why, and a couple of other things that will help relieve anxiety:

- Chewing food 15 to 20 times per mouthful helps relieve anxiety because our teeth and enzyme in the saliva help to break down the food in our mouth and makes the work of our internal digestive system much easier.

- Eat just enough to feel satisfied so you don't overload your digestive system. You don't have to clean out the plate.

- Drink one cup of water with the meal. Drinking too much fluid can actually dilute stomach acid and digestive enzymes, thereby increasing the level of stress on the body system.

You can take it a step further by practicing mindful eating, which involves focusing on chewing, tasting, feeling the texture of the food (and its juices) in your mouth before making a decision to swallow it and finally swallowing it.

I'll write about mindfulness and mindful eating in another article, but for a start, how about eating at a dining table, away from your computer screen or television set?