Drink Your Food, Eat Your Drink

The Indian proverb — "Drink your food, eat your drink — resonates with me. I've always been a man who bolts down food. Before the 20 minutes an appetite lingers is up, I've gone back for seconds, thirds even.

Now it is important, for weight maintenance, for longevity, for feeling good, that I don't snack between meals and that I don't go back for seconds. It's all about portion control. And eating on the 2x2x2 plan — eat twice as often, eat half as much and chew twice as long — helps with not snacking. It keeps my blood sugar at an even keel and not riding on the unsettling big waves.

I struggled, mightily, with bolting food, with hurrying through meals and snacks, until I discovered the Indian proverb, "Drink your food. Eat your drink." Drinking your food means chewing it up fully and tasting every bite. Maybe even — probably even — setting down the fork or spoon between bites. "Drinking your food" also helps with digestion. It helps avoid that most common of older American concerns — heartburn — and the accompanying gas that can lead to major social faux pas.

The Indians know that eating is about quality and not quantity, and if you drink your food you're more likely to live longer and better.