For the sake of your diabetes, slow down!

Before the pandemic, we were going at top speed all the time. Get work done faster, get more activities in for the kids, stop and pick up meals because there is no time to cook anything. Drive faster to get home, make the computer go faster, print stuff faster. No time to pay too much attention to your diabetes or your blood sugar – got to get to work.

Then we hit the brakes in 2020 with the pandemic. Everything stopped for a year or more. As I worked from home, I saw families out walking with their dogs and their kids every day. The kids were fooling around and playing a bit because they didn’t have to rush home. People began to grow gardens, make meals and actually sit together and eat. Grocery shopping was slowed way down. If you were a certain age, you could go grocery shopping early. Some things were limited so you could only buy one or two at a time. You thought about what you needed and bought it. Families would watch movies together instead of pounding out work late into the night. We cleaned out our homes and made space for home offices instead of the dining room table.

I’m not trying to romanticize this time in our lives. It did, however, give us an opportunity to slow down and live at a slower pace for a while. Are there benefits to living life at a slower pace? Yes.

First, eating slower has several benefits. Taking at least 20 minutes to eat your meal will reduce the amount of food you eat. Slowing down gives the digestive hormones time to send signals to your brain that you are full and can stop eating and less likely to overeat. Chewing your food instead of gulping it down allows your body to properly digest your food without gas and bloating.

Second, slow eating gives your body time to shift out of your sympathetic, fight or flight nervous system and into your parasympathetic, rest and digest nervous system. This allows your body to relax and receive the food you eat and digest it comfortably.

Third, one of the best things you can do for yourself, as a person with diabetes, is prepare your own meals at home using whole food. You know what is in your food. You can make it any way you want it, using the ingredients that work for you and your diabetes, like spices instead of sauces for example. The one ingredient only you can add is love to make your meals taste wonderful. You might recall from your childhood your mother or grandmother making food and pouring love into it. You could taste it and it made you feel loved.

Fourth, slow cooking also has benefits. This gives us time to connect with the food we are about to eat. Smelling food cooking prepares your body for food. How? Your mouth starts to water, enzymes that breakdown food start to ‘gear’ up, the acid in your stomach ramps up ready for what is to come.

Fifth, think of the connection you make with your family as you are all together, sharing food and conversation. Learning about each other’s day and what is happening in your lives. This can be a very pleasant way to create a relaxed, comfortable mealtime. You may want to set some boundaries on appropriate topics for the dinner table.

Reap these 5 benefits from slowing down, especially when you are eating.

Dr Elaine

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This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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