A Healthy Change

張貼日期：Mar 16, 2011 4:0:57 PM

A Healthy Change

Pace Chen

The pace of the big city is fast, and it affects me a lot. In my mind, there is always a clock which rings to rush me to be quick all the time. I am controlled by the time and worried about being late, delay or lack of time. I feel I am always in a hurry. Due to this personality trait, a quick eating habit has been formed since I was a child. It has gotten worse after I started to work. I was occupied with tasks that forced me to push myself to the extreme, eating lunch quickly. I was warned to change the habit in case of stomachache. There are three reasons why I should change the eating habit.

First, my stomach does not need to work harder to digest the food I swallow. The food in the mouth should be as small as it can be before it is swallowed. If I do not chew more than 10 times, or 20 times as a doctor advises, my stomach needs to take over the job for making the food into mash then digest it. It is clear that my stomach is overloaded. Every time my stomach aches, it reminds me of my swallowing food too fast. I always wish that the time could go back again and I would have meals at a slow pace.

Second, the report indicates that it takes time for the brain to receive the signal for being full. People who finish meals quickly usually end up overfeeding themselves. I understand why I sometimes feel like eating more food or cookies after a meal even though I realize that I have eaten too much, for I do not get the feeling of being full. Later, my stomach would feel uncomfortable for hours.

The last reason for slow dining habit is the table manner. The first person who finishes meals is me when I eat out with friends. It is weird to talk with them and look at the food they are eating with my empty dish, or even a clean space in front of me. What I will say to my friends is "No rush." They have pressure making me wait for too long. This bad habit not only causes my discomfort but also affects my friends.

It is hard to make a change although we know it is good or healthy. For instance, people know that smoking is not good, but it is always too late to perceive its negative effects until the smokers' health has some problems. Every time the stomach cancer is mentioned among friends and relatives, it reminds me again that I need to change. I hope I am not like a chain-smoker who keeps on doing what is harming my health.