Acting like a new parent that keeps boring others about stories about the new baby in the house, here goes Posner again talking about Jax the puppy. We were advised to buy a food bowl that was sort of maze-like inside in order to slow the puppy’s eating. If placed directly into a regular bowl, the dog would demolish the food in less than a minute. The vet informed us that slower eating is better for the puppy and there will not be as much chance of bowel/stomach issues.
Let’s bring the topic of “pace of eating” away from the canine world and to us humans. Some of the side effects of very rapid eating include:
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Elevated blood pressure
- Higher blood sugar
Longer term issues associated with chronic fast paced eating include:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Gastritis
- Metabolic Syndrome
Slowing down the pace of eating allows us to savor the food better, enjoy the “dining” experience, share the expanded moments with our loved ones and very importantly, provide us the opportunity to think about whether we are still hungry as we are eating as opposed to mindlessly devouring every morsel.
I am not suggesting that we purchase maze-like plates for our eating. However, we all need to consciously evaluate our pace of eating and ensure as best as possible that we slow it down.
Slow dancing is probably lots more fun (at least it was for me in college when I wanted to be close to the gals I wanted to date) than slow eating. How about an old tune called “Slow Dancing” by Johnny Rivers. Here he is on the Midnight Special….remember that show?
