Lighten Up Georgia - Weekly Tip 12

 

WWW.LIGHTENUPGEORGIA.ORG

 

"Fighting Obesity - One Step At A Time"

 

Georgia Sports Foundation * P.O. Box 2043 * Kennesaw, GA 30156

(770) 528-3580 * (770) 528-3590 Fax * jseagra6@kennesaw.edu 

 

Release: April  18, 2005

 

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Slowing Your Eating Rate

Could you qualify for the Olympic speed-eating trials? Many people eat so fast that their taste buds see only a blur as the food speeds by. This minimizes enjoyment of food. More importantly, eating rapidly can fool your body's defense against eating too much.

Your body has an internal satiety (fullness) mechanism. When you have eaten enough, the mechanism sends out signals saying, "Enough is enough!" This takes approximately 20 minutes. If you eat rapidly, you will consume too much food before the mechanism kicks in.

Slowing down eating can be like halting a runaway train. You have had many meals in your lifetime so the habit of eating fast has been practiced thousands of times. So be patient as you practice slowing your eating. Here are a couple of suggestions for you to try.

Put Your Fork Down Between Bites: When you take a bite of food, put your fork down, chew the food completely, swallow, and then pick up the fork for another bite. Do the same with a spoon, and if you are eating finger foods like a sandwich, put the food down between bites.

Pause During the Meal: Take a break during your meal. Start with a brief pause, of perhaps 30 seconds. Gradually increase the time to 1, then 2, and finally 3 minutes. This pause gives you time to reflect on what you have eaten, so you can make a conscious decision to proceed with more. This may also help you to eat less.

Tips for Eating Out

Individuals often mention that one of the barriers to meeting healthy eating goals is that it is difficult to make good choices when eating out. Keep the following tips in your 'action bag' the next time you eat out. When you think and plan ahead for eating out at restaurants you'll be able to make some healthy choices and stay within your eating goals.

  • Make food selections that will fit into one of the basic five food groups: breads and grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat and meat alternates. Go light on the food choices that would fit into the Tip of the Pyramid (soft drinks, desserts, extra fat).

  • When selecting bread or grain products, ask for whole grain.

  • Ask how food is prepared. Pay attention to phrases that indicate lower fat preparation:

    • Steamed

    • In its own juice

    • Garden fresh

    • Broiled

    • Roasted

    • Poached

  • Ask for dressings and sauces to be served on the side so that you have control over how much is added to your food.

  • Trim visible fat from meat and set it aside.

  • Pay attention to foods that will have extra sugar added to them. Go smaller or make another selection.

If portion sizes are extra large, cut your serving down and set the food aside to be shared with someone else or taken home for another meal.

 

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WWW.LIGHTENUPGEORGIA.ORG

 

 

 

Remember:

 

April 22, 2005: Remember to turn in your teams weekly activity report.

May 7, 2005: Cobb Cup (Team Handball)

July 8-17, 2005: Georgia Games Championships

August 6, 2005: Run For Life (Road Race)

September 12, 2005: Bandy & Bailey Golf Jam 

 

WWW.GEORGIAGAMES.ORG  

       

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P.O. Box 2043 * Kennesaw, GA 30156-9100 * (770) 528-3580 * (770) 528-3590 Fax

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