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Slow food: The New Trend

Grandma was right. Remember when she used to tell you to eat slowly? “Don’t rush!” was one of the common phrases heart by children of the past generations.
Over the years, these children who ate fast became adults that eat fast too, and that’s the way the story goes over and over. But, until recently, we’ve been finding out about the benefits of eating slowly.

Faster, More Calories
In 2006, the University of Rhode Island conducted an investigation that found “eating slowly inhibits appetite.” “It began in 1972 as a hypothesis which stated that eating slowly could give the body the time to develop satiety and therefore, eat less,” explained Kathleen Melanson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Rhode Island. “Until now, we had heard this everywhere and it had become of public domain. But there wasn’t any study supporting it.”

For the study, a group of 30 women ate a big plate of pasta twice a day, knowing they could eat as much as they wanted. When they were told to eat fast, they ate 649 calories in 9 minutes, but when they were asked to have pauses between bites, they ate 579 calories in 29 minutes.

In conclusion, Professor Melanson said that “the signs of satiety clearly need to develop.”  They also found that women who ate slower said they enjoyed more the meals and felt a pleasant satiety.
In addition to taking more time to eat, another factor contributed to the results: eating slower, women took more water, which also influenced satiety.

Time to Enjoy
Although its purpose isn’t specifically to “eat slowly,” the “Slow Food” association has over 20 years working to spread its philosophy.
With over 100,000 members worldwide, this association was founded in 1989 to “counteract fast food and fast life, as well as to prevent the end of local food traditions and combat the lack of general interest in nutrition, the origins, flavors and consequences of our food choices,” as explained on its website.
Among its main statements, it emphasizes buying from local producers of organic food, as healthier and environmentally friendly alternatives, since they don’t use artificial fertilizers fuel to transport their products.

“Slow food is good, clean, and fair. We believe that the food we eat should be rich in flavor; must be produced in a hygienic manner that doesn’t harm the environment, animal welfare, or our health; and food producers should receive a fair compensation for their work,” is the philosophy of this association.

Next time you sit at the table, pay close attention to the way you’re eating. If you notice you’re doing it in a hurry, take a deep breath, drink a glass of water, and try to slow down. This will not only help your digestive system, but you’ll also learn to eat what’s necessary.

Source:  www.uri.edu and  www.slowfood.com 

Slow food: The New Trend

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