How much and how to eat?
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Eat less, savour more….
Food is much more than a mere combination of nutrients, and diet is far more than a sum of foods devising it. Following this logic, gastronomic culture is more that a collection of menus it offers. It incorporates manners, eating traditions, a line of unwritten rules, the whole comprehensive relationship of men towards food and eating.
Ways of eating are in some cultures as important as what is being eaten. It is much simpler to adopt foods than eating habits from certain cultures, although they might help us if also adopted.
For example, the French eat quite a lot of saturated fatty acids and we would normally assume that they suffer from particular health problems, such as high rate of coronary diseases, high rate of obesity, etc. However, they do not. The secret is in their dining culture, or rather their gastronomic culture. The French rarely eat between meals, they eat in the company of other people, they eat small quantities and have no seconds, and they eat long and slowly. They take significantly less calories, but they enjoy them profoundly.
Let’s not forget – the French have wine with their main meals (lunch, dinner).
In French restaurants smaller rations are served, which is particularly important, as we are prone to believe that, regardless the amount of food on our plate, it is exactly the amount we are supposed to eat.
The inhabitants of Okinawa, being among the healthiest population in the world, stick to the rule – stop eating when you are 80% full. How do we know when we are 80% full? We must eat slowly and keep in touch with our senses.
We should refrain from paying attention to external signals. Pay attention to our internal signals which tell us when we have had enough of food.
The expert conclusion says – eat less, eat slowly and savour every bite.
The question of quality and quantity is immensely important when talking about eating habits. If we eat quality food we shall eat less. Low-quality, fast food is abundant in empty and redundant calories thus deceiving our senses.
“Spaghetti With Bread” - Image courtesy of vudhikrai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
“Young Couple Eating Pizza” - Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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