It’s understandable that often in the last month or so in my Monroeville Chiropractor office that dieting and exercise has come up a lot as a topic of conversation. That’s simply one of the most common New Years’ Resolutions. Recently though, I’ve had many a talk with my patients on dieting and there are two things that I keep coming back to so I thought I’d share.
One important thing that I always mention to the patients of my Penn Hills Chiropractor office regarding dieting is to be very aware of portion control. To be frank, the amount of food that most of us either put on our plate at home, or are served while eating out, is absolutely way too much. Sure we all grew up being told to “clean our plate”, but back then the portions were much smaller. Here’s just one image to illustrate that. I hate to say it, but don’t feel bad if you don’t clear your plate. Pay attention to your body and just eat until you’re full!
That leads me to number two here. As a Chiropractor, I always seem to have to tell my patients this tip: eat slowly! The brain and the stomach have to communicate the “I’m full” signal to each other which will make you feel full and be satiated. One study shows that it takes between 2-10 minutes for this to happen. If you eat too fast, you will in essence blow through this stop sign and the signal will come later than it should, but after you’ve already over-eaten. If you eat slower, you will allow this signal time to work and thus not overeat!
Those are just two of the tips I tell my patients, but I hope they help!
- Dr. Brent Shealer – Pittsburgh, Monroeville, Penn Hills Chiropractor