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Whether the reason for eating too fast is you getting late for your office in the morning or perhaps sharing a packet of chips with friends, we all have had times when we just jammed portions into our mouths and gulped them. Especially in today's world, where patience has become a very rare thing, eating too fast has almost become a daily habit for most people.
We have almost forgotten the beauty of sitting comfortably at a table and savoring our meals. In olden times, eating was considered the most luxurious part of the day, but now it has come down to just a necessity because of our fast-paced lifestyle. We are often in a hurry, busy, and occasionally distracted by the little screens on our palms, and this has influenced our eating habits.
But do you know that eating too fast not only deprives you of the pleasure of enjoying a good meal but also affects your health in a lot of ways? It comes with a lot of health risks, and though gulping down everything might save a little of your time, in the long term it can lead to severe health conditions.
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Here we list five health risks that you are probably exposing yourself to if you are eating too fast.
Health Risks of Eating Too Fast
1) Weight Gain
Eating too fast often leads to overeating because it takes our stomach almost 20 minutes to signal the brain that it is full. Hence, while eating too fast, since we chew less, we tend to eat much more than our body needs and consume much more calories, which ultimately leads to weight gain.
Also, studies have shown that people who eat too fast tend to get hungry more quickly than those who take time to consume their meals. The main reason is that when we eat too fast, it disrupts the hormones regulating the appetite, which signals when you are full. It also reduces the thermic effect of food, which is responsible for boosting metabolism.
2) Raises Blood Sugar
It takes a particular amount of time for our body to break down the sugar in our food. When we eat too fast, we mostly tend to gulp large chunks of food in our stomach that take much more time to dissolve. Eating too fast makes us obese, which leads to insulin resistance, where blood sugar levels spike up, increasing the accumulation of cholesterol and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
3) Increases Gastritis
When we gulp down our food quickly, we overeat, and the accumulation of too much food stretches our stomach lining. That food sits in the stomach for a longer time, which makes the stomach lining more exposed to gastric acids. This leads to inflammation that eats away at the lining of the stomach and causes deep ulcers. It also results in improper digestion that causes upset stomach and irregular bowel movement.
4) Metabolic Syndrome
Eating too fast leads to insulin resistance in the body, which is directly related to metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even strokes.
Studies have found that fast eaters are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those who eat slowly. The two risk factors that mainly contribute to metabolic syndrome are large waistlines and low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body. Slow eaters are therefore likely to have better immunity and body structure than people eating too fast.
5) Windpipe Blockage
This is the worst nightmare that anyone can think about while having food. When we eat fast, we are more likely to inhale food than swallow it down. This can lead to partial or complete choking with the blockage of our windpipe, which can make us unable to breathe. Hence, it's always best to give yourself enough time to chew the food before swallowing it to avoid any dangerous consequences.
Conclusion
Just taking enough time to eat our food can provide us with several health benefits. We will be eating just the amount that our body truly needs, minimizing our calorie intake, and it will be easy for our body to properly break down the chunks and provide us with all the nutrients.
To avoid eating too fast, try not to watch something (TV, phone, computer, etc.) that distracts your attention. While eating, take little bites and chew your food properly before swallowing it down, and sip some water when you feel like it—just not too much. And the last thing is to try not to get too hungry by taking extreme breaks in between your meals, as hunger pangs can make us stuff more than we need.
Our food is one of the most important aspects of our lives because it keeps us alive. Hence, eating mindfully is the best way to show our gratitude that we have enough on our platter to keep our stomachs full.
