21 Jul 2012 To chew or not to chew?

by Kellie Dye

Slim Fast, smoothies, protein shakes, juicing — there so many options to avoid eating real food. Some of the weight loss industry would have you believe that in order to lose weight you must replace a meal with one of their perfectly balanced, super nutritious, delicious tasting shakes. Why mess with real food when you can drink an easy shake instead?

Well sure, it’s easy to drink a shake instead of eating a meal. And of course you could lose weight. A supplemental shake is often far less calories than a meal. Are shakes as satisfying as they would lead you to believe? No matter how much protein or fiber they put into a shake, in many cases it will not satisfy. Any time you drink your food in place of chewing food, your fullness will not last as long. Chewing food is the beginning process of digestion. When you chew food, your saliva contains enzymes that immediately contribute to the breaking down of nutrients for digestion.

Shakes are often protein based with additional vitamins, minerals and supplements added. The latest research on vitamins and mineral supplementation has been disappointing. Getting vitamins and minerals in a supplemental form has shown to provide few if any health benefits unless you are truly deficient. The ideal way to get vitamins and minerals is from natural whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. People who get their vitamins and minerals from whole foods are more protected against diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and strokes.

It’s important to think about the long term. It’s been said many times over, whatever you do to lose weight, you have to do it forever to keep off the weight. Can you drink shakes forever? I think it would get old after a while no matter how delicious they are.  

These days we want everything fast, including our meals. Convenience has become an essential need as in fast food, fast shakes, meal bars, frozen dinners, etc. Faster food does not always equal satisfaction. Faster food often leaves us craving something more, something different, something more satisfying. We are totally getting away from putting time and attention into our meals. We have so much convenience in our lives, such as dishwashers, washers, dryers, remote controls — the list goes on. With all of this convenience, we should have more time to cook. Instead of cooking, we pack our schedules with other things to do. We are becoming a nation of non-cooks.  

Instead of drinking your meal or grabbing the fastest food that you can find, consider putting a little planning, creativity and attention into your food. Then try to chew and savor your food. I’m betting that you will achieve more fullness and satisfaction.