To prevent excess weight it's not only what, but how you eat

10:21AM Monday February 16, 2009

Wolfing down your meal may double your risk of being overweight. Drinking just the right amount of alcohol is the key to staying lean.

It is not just what you eat but how you eat that can make all the difference.

Eating fast causes obesity. A Japanese study looking at eating speed and feelings of fullness showed that 84 per cent of men who eat fast are more likely to become overweight and 50 per cent of women are likely to suffer the same fate.

The study also showed that people who ate fast and waited until they felt full were over three times more likely to become overweight.

This is because the signals to the brain from your stomach to tell you when to stop eating, are slow. If you eat too fast your stomach will fill before you can register that it is full.

This problem may have been caused by people learning in childhood to eat more and quickly. It could also be an evolutionary advantage - grab more food while it is available.

Studies have shown that the old wives' tale to chew your food 20 times before swallowing is true - this way you will never overfill yourself before the signal to stop eating reaches your brain.

How about those of you who only eat when you are hungry?

If you wish to maintain your weight this is not a good idea because if you wait until you are hungry you will eat the handiest thing available which may well be a poor choice.

The hunger messenger in your brain - called ghrelin activates centres - form part of a primitive reward system that is involved in addictive behaviours. So you see "a reward" more when you are hungry.

This leads to more desperate food behaviour - you will grasp the nearest and quickest thing available, rather than making a wise food choice.

It is best for you to eat regularly and not allow yourself to become hungry.

When it comes to alcohol, anything over four alcohol drinks a day, or binge drinking, increases obesity.

It is best to drink less than five drinks a week if you want to maintain your weight.

Also watch out for that drink before a meal because this increases your appetite and you eat more.

Eating in front of the TV certainly leads to obesity because you don't notice how much you are eating.

Studies have shown that women who watch three hours of television eat 1.9 times more than those watching one hour of television.

In men the figure is 2.2 times more.

So, eating is an art. If you want to manage your weight smartly, you need to think about the way you eat, not just what you eat.

- Dr Frances Pitsilis

Pictured above: Eating healthy food is a start, but to really tackle excess weight, you need to think about how you eat. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age