Why it’s Good to Enjoy Your Food
We’re always being told what or what not to eat. Just think about how often you’re told you need to cut down on salt, sugar, fat, carbs, additives, and even GM produce. It seems that every week, scientists are telling us that they’ve found a new way to ruin our favorite foods! Well, for once science may have given us a break because recent studies suggest that while we should be eating healthier, we also benefit greatly from enjoying our food! At NetCost Market, we wanted to give you some insight into this new way of thinking – and eating!
Enjoying your food aids digestion
Lots of the time, we blame poor digestion on what we’ve eaten, but quite often it can also be as much a psychological response as a physical one. When we eat something we like, our parasympathetic nervous system acknowledges this, and our brain tells our body to relax the muscles in our gastrointestinal tract which increases the amount of digestive juice in the stomach, aiding digestion. When we eat something we really don’t like, it can cause stomach issues such as gas and stomach cramps because it doesn’t get the same level of quality digestion as it should!
Loving what you eat means you absorb more of the good stuff!
Sticking with the foods you like shapes the types of bacteria that develop in your stomach. This means that over time, your body is actually becoming more optimized to absorb what you need from your diet. Of course, you can’t go around constantly eating chocolate and expecting your body to absorb only what it needs, but it does show that if we stick to healthy food that we enjoy over healthy food that we despise, our stomachs will thank us for it!
It keeps you satisfied
You may think that eating foods you like will lead to overeating, but studies show that this is actually not often the case. When you eat foods you really enjoy eating, your brain interprets this as a positive experience and makes you feel satisfied. However, if you eat something you don’t really enjoy, your brain tells you to keep eating until you get the same level of satisfaction you’d have with a meal you do enjoy. This often leads to you eating so much that you physically can’t get any more in your body, without the satisfaction of actually enjoying the meal!
Believe it or not, enjoying your food is a huge part of a healthy diet. But, it’s important to remember that you should still stick to a healthy, balanced diet, but try to tailor it to the flavors you enjoy – just eating fried chicken or corn dogs every day is certainly not going to keep you healthy! Equally, holding your nose and guzzling down kale and raw mushroom juice can also harm your body – unless of course you really do enjoy kale and raw mushroom juice! If you’re looking for some inspiration for your new healthy yet enjoyable diet, head down to NetCost Market for the freshest and tastiest ingredients around!