Written By : Komal Tiwari
Edited & Posted On : 09/03/2023
Distracted eating
We all talk about our stressed out and difficult lives. But I feel, we exaggerate our circumstances. We don’t want to find peace in anything, not even the food which is substrata! We want to earn more and live comfortably but definitely not eat mindfully. I think there is no problem in earning more and living comfortably and everybody should be able to achieve it but not eating mindfully is certainly very problematic. We eat to live and we earn so that we could eat well. If we can’t eat from our platter contently and peacefully, what’s the point behind anything else?
We don’t care about what we eat and how we eat. This is what is distracted eating. Usually our eyes are glued to our TV screens or we are punching our phone screen. There are people who can’t ingest a morsel without their talks. And some people throw their meals in their stomach so hastily as if they are going to miss their train.
Preoccupied eating attracts an array of medical conditions. It leads to overeating, weight gain, indigestion, eating disorders, bloating and constipation.
“Mouth Watering“is not just an English phrase. It has a deep science behind it. The sight, smell or the texture of food makes our mouth water. The saliva in mouth has digestive enzymes that break the food down. The digestion of carbohydrates starts in mouth itself. Digestion is a complex process; not as easy as swallowing food while TV viewing! Our overall health depends upon our gut health. The later depends upon a disciplined digestive system. A robust digestion means our body is doing its best.
But actions as distracted eating alter the working of our Digestive System. Mindless eating may lead to disruptive secretion of certain enzymes. Conditions like acidity, heartburn, bloating, belching, constipation and flatulence are not very uncommon among people. Dr. Komal Tewari from Urja Diets says,” Every patient/client who enrolled in one or the other programs available at Urja Diets complained of one or many of these symptoms of indigestion during initial consultation”. Ironically, relief from these symptoms has been made easy for us. There are over the counter medications to control hyperacidity and enhance digestion. The sufferer is advised to pop them in or gulp them down before meals. That’s seems easy to people rather than avoiding distractions while munching. Distracted eating pacifies the digestive fire. Further, consuming the pills to control symptoms, acts as an icing on the cake. The twosome completely kills the digestive fire.
A very alarming trend can be seen these days. As they say childhood is the foundation of adult life, the foundation of the distracted eating is laid by many self centered parents when their little ones are just in infancy. In a train, in plane, in waiting room, at home and while travelling, children not old enough to hold their milk bottles are seen staring or even holding mobile phones and tablets. They won’t consume what they are being fed as long as they don’t have a source of entertainment around them. Tablets, mobile phones and TV are used by the parents to pacify their kids when they throw tantrums. The further journey of such children is full of health issues and is very painful, distraught and is full of aggression. All thanks to the upbringing. At the time of feeding values and ethics, they were fed with camera and action.
Distraught eating and obesity share a very deep bond; both are directly proportional to each other. Eating patterns have a very deep impact on how one will weigh on scale. Distracted eating delays the state of satiation and the individual is likely to eat enormous amounts of food, which later piles up as unwanted fat. When the food enters the digestive system through mouth, it sends an array of signals to brain which contain sensory, nutritive and other information. Multitasking makes brain not entirely available to process this information. Also, distracted eating may lead a person to eat unhealthy and more calorie dense foods. It may also involve the individual to crave for sweet foods. This becomes one fine recipe for weight gain.
In the similar way eating hurriedly can also make you gain weight because the brain needs time to process the signals of fullness. Dr. Tewari says that it may take up to 20 minutes for human brain to realize that you are full. Like hunger, attention and memory also influence how much we eat at a time. If you are multitasking and eating hurriedly your brain fails to send you those signals and you tend to eat more. Dr. Komal Tewari further says that along with poor digestion, eating while doing other things can also lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and lowered satisfaction from food.
Dr Tewari says that at Urjaa Diets they advise the clients not to eat in front of TV, computer, smart phone or any other kind of screens. She recommends her patients to put the spoon down between morsels and enjoy each and every bite. While throwing light on the benefits of chewing thoroughly, she says that each bite should be chewed from 25- 30 times before ingestion. She cited that one of her clients under weight loss program, who was neither able to follow the diets prescribed to her nor exercise, was able to lose around 9 kilos in a year by following this chewing strategy only.
Keep your TV remotes, mobile phones, I-Pads and newspapers away, when your plate is in front of you. Concentrate on what you are going to put into your mouth and chew mindfully.
Before breaking a morsel, show gratitude towards God for feeding you. Show Him that you need His care not only for being able to earn bread and butter for yourselves but also to let it nourish you and bring you health and well being. This should be followed by 4-5 deep breaths to allow more oxygen to reach inside.