Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Graze Anatomy: The Rule of Twos

Clean Eaters automatically graze. All day long, we're nibbling, crunching, and sipping. Sometimes, it seems like that is all we ever do!  We're moving from one small food to another, constantly keeping our metabolism working, , maintaining a constant insulin level so our bodies are working like the machines they are meant to be. 

There are 3 Rules to grazing effectively - otherwise known as "The Rule of Twos"

1. Eat Twice as Often

2. Eat Half as Much

3. Chew Twice as Long


Rule 1 - Eat Twice as Much - this doesn't mean eating 2x the amount of pizza you'd normally eat. This means if you are used to eating "3 Squares" a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner - you should insert a mid morning meal in between breakfast and lunch. It should be foods that compliment what you ate for breakfast and what you are planning on for dinner ( if you ate oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a good mid morning meal would be a cup of yogurt and a handful of nuts ). Likewise, you should insert a complimentary mid afternoon small meal in between lunch and dinner. 

Rule 2 - Eat Half As Much - this is portion control at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. A serving of an apple is the size of a woman's fist. It is not a mammoth gigonzo apple. A serving of meat is about the size of a pack of playing cards. It should not cover your plate. 

A smart person told me "If you are not hungry for breakfast every morning - it means you ate too much the day before."

Rule 3 - Chew Twice as Long - You'd be surprised how many people don't thoroughly chew their food. Chewing is an important aspect of digestion; your stomach can't do ALL of the work  Chew each bite carefully. Significant chewing is also a way to signal the brain that you are full. If you've chewed enough, your brain gets the "all full" signal sooner rather than later. Chewing also slows down your consumption. It takes your brain up to 20 minutes to understand the "I'm full" signals your body sends it. If you slow down your consumption by chewing more - you will be less likely to overeat!