As a counterpoint to the huge advance of “fast food”, the desire to slow down, within the recently fashionable “slow life” trend, also manifested itself in the field of nutrition. This is how the “slow food” movement was born – which then encompasses the many aspects of traditional, careful, slow, light eating. We highlight some of them.
“Slow food” in practice
Eating seasonal products bought from local producers and cooking without haste, eating calmly is a simple and good thing… We usually don’t do it, mainly because of lack of time and determination. In this context, the precepts of “slow food” are obvious – but they get lost in the crazy pace of our fast-paced lives. However, it is possible to follow them and profit from them before picking up the knife and fork… Here are some of their useful recommendations.
1. We prepare the food several days in advance to prevent overcrowding later
By simplifying the meal, we can relax and make it easier on our schedule, without sacrificing the quality of the food we prepare. This makes it possible to let us have more pleasant, free evenings in the weekdays, we will regain the peace that seems to be lost due to the overworked life, let us spend more time on ourselves and our children, in fact, let’s reduce the cost money and even lose our extra kilos. Another positive: the preparation of the weekly menu, e.g. on the weekend, it also allows us to avoid eating processed, semi-prepared or home-delivered food, as well as to resist the temptation of “express” food. All of these it has many harmful effects on our health, in terms of achieving the goal of a balanced diet. In addition, in the minutes freed up after preparation, we have more time for “slow food”, which has multiple advantages.
2. Eat light meals to aid digestion
That’s why it’s important eating foods that can be digested faster and matching them with food in order to feel lively and light after a meal and have more energy for other activities. Even if specialists have different opinions regarding food combinations, we can accept a simple rule: vegetables can be associated with any other food (protein, starch, fat, etc.) And there is no one-size-fits-all recipe – every body is different, so there are many truths. Our task is to find ourselves through better knowledge of our bodies.
Depending on the ingredients, the duration of digestion may vary: from a few minutes, e.g. in the case of a freshly squeezed fruit juice (simple sugar ingredients), up to more than 5 hours, e.g. when consuming certain animal proteins. Added to this is that in the case of bad food combinations, some foods start to ferment in the stomach before we digest them. Of course, this also extends the digestion time. The result: the average time that elapses from the time the food is taken in the mouth to the time it leaves the body in the feces often reaches 24 hours!
3. Take enough time to chew
Eating is a sensory activity. Before when we take food into our mouths, the senses send signals to the hypothalamus to prepare the digestive system for digestion and absorption of food, breaking down nutrients. Don’t waste time and learn to look and smell the food while eating, promoting good digestion.
Chewing is the first step to good digestion. Let’s discover the beneficial effects of this rhythmic movement on our body, and also the pleasure of savoring it. Thorough chewing promotes the initiation of the saliva-forming reaction with the help of enzymes and starts the secretion of gastric juices and the movement of the intestines. So let’s make sure that the food stays in our mouths for a sufficient amount of time due to proper chewing, which we must pay attention to patiently and take enough time for.
4. Respect our biological rhythm
This is not always an easy task, given the pulsating rhythm of our lives. In the past, it became almost a habit, an early dinner remained a condition for good digestion and rest for the digestive systemso you can sleep well during the night. Because approx. Between 10:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m., the intestinal system should rest, on the other hand, food eaten late prevents this, due to the load on the intestines during digestion. A light dinner eaten comfortably early in the evening allows you to avoid this, as well as to prevent the development of inflammation, bloating and other intestinal complaints.
And that the intestinal system needs rest, for a reason: intestinal bacteria follow our biological rhythm. Thus, while we sleep, blood in the intestine drives various operations, such as e.g. repair of damaged DNA or detoxification. So let’s make ourselves aware that the right choice of food, and careful, “slow” consumption at the right time and for a long time is a fundamental stepping stone to our well-being and the maintenance of our necessary vitality.
Source: Galen
Source: www.patikamagazin.hu
