S.L.O.W. Foods

Lately I have been adopting and teaching the mantra: “Eat S.L.O.W. foods slowly.”

What are SLOW foods?

S stands for SEASONAL so your circadian rhythm and the foods you eat or the foods the animal you eat, eats, stays in sync with the sun. Plants eaten in season are at their peak nutritional value. Nutrient dense foods taste better. Think about your home-grown tomatoes in late August vs a hot house tomato in February.

L stands for LOCAL to be in sync with the soil microbiome of your area which is important for and improves your gut health. Local foods grown in local dirt.

O stands for ORGANIC which maximizes nutrient density. If the minerals are not in the soil because of our modern farming practices, they cannot get into the plant. Choose organic foods (I follow the EWG guidelines) to avoid pesticide residue which can disrupt the body’s signaling systems.

W stands for WHOLE as in minimally processed. You want to give your stomach work to do. You want your gut to be your food processor.

When you eat SLOW foods, your gut signals your brain that you have the nutrients you need for your body to work well and then your gut tells your brain to stop eating. SLOW foods have fiber to provide the  bulk for the stretch receptors and SLOW foods have nutrient density to signal the nutrient receptors which via  the vagus nerve, signals the brain: STOP EATING, WE HAVE WORK TO DO AND WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED. The  macronutrients take time to digest and release the hormones into the blood stream to go to the brain, turn off the hunger pathway and turn on the satiety pathway.

Eating SLOW foods SLOWLY allows your brain to hear the signals from your gut and you are able to feel full and satisfied.

When you are eating, you only want your brain to do one thing and be fully engaged in that one thing, which is eating. You want your brain to notice the colors, the textures, the smells, the tastes of the food you are eating. When your brain is fully engaged and not distracted, then your brain can hear the satiety signals your gut is providing.

If you eat in a distracted way, while driving, in front of a screen, walking down the hall, you are asking your brain to do too many things at once. You are activating the Sympathetic nervous system which overrides the rest and digest Parasympathetic nervous system. This leads to indigestion, and you can’t hear the satiety signals.

Americans eat F.A.S.T. food FAST.

F stands for FIBERLESS. Food without fiber goes through the GI system too quickly. The stomach sees that there is no work to do, empties quickly, and as a result produces ghrelin again, and you get hungry and eat.

A stands for ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS the majority of which increase hunger and disrupt gut bacteria balance.

S stands for heavily sugared, salted, seed oiled which disrupts blood sugar balance, drives fat production in the liver, and increase inflammation.

T stands for TOO TASTY, bypassing the gut signaling system and activating the reward/dopamine center which screams eat more, more, more because you cannot be satisfied. The food industry works overtime to get you to fall into their trap.

You want your food to taste good but not be hyperpalatable so you are not driven to over eat.

This is what we teach at Oregon Weight and Wellness. Eating SLOW food SLOWLY takes time and practice and three steps forward, two steps back. It’s sometimes more expensive short term. It’s not always fun or easy, but with grace and patience with the process, it becomes your new way of life and you feel so much better, you won’t want to go back.