Slow food nourishes
body and soul

by Natalie Savona

DEVON-based Natalie Savona is resident nutritionist for Cosmopolitan magazine, a member of Healthy magazine’s expert panel, a regular contributor to national newspapers and the author of several books, including her latest, The Kitchen Shrink.

NOT even out of the door of the sandwich (or pastie!) shop and the wrapper is off. First bite’s gone before the traffic lights and by the time the little man has changed to green, the first half of the sandwich is down the hatch. Rushing out of the house or office to get to your pottery class or to meet friends for a night out… better grab a bag of crisps to see you through - you can always munch on something out of the fridge when you’re home later.

Okay, so this may not be your daily routine, and as a Connect reader, it’s more likely to be a muesli bar and an apple that you’re gobbling down on the move, but many of us use the excuse of our fast-paced lives not to sit down to fresh, good food each day.

Thankfully, our lives in the south west are generally less frantic and unhealthy than our big city cousins, but many of us lead active, busy lives that can leave thoughts of feeding ourselves trailing behind other priorities, such as caring for children, social lives, work or whatever.

Food and drink are not just nutrients for our bodies, they’re nourishment to our very core, to our souls. We are all aware of the way in which food affects how we feel and how our moods affect our food choices. (Think of how psychologically deprived you’d feel if you were banned from eating food for ever more and had to survive nutritionally on pills and meal-replacement shakes.)

For food to be digested and used by the body properly it needs to be, not only of good quality, but also eaten when you’re relaxed. Sitting down, pausing to eat, chewing thoroughly and stopping between mouthfuls means that your body has time to produce the right amount of saliva and other digestive juices to break down your food efficiently. That way you get the most out of it, your body can absorb the vital nutrients, deal with the waste by-products and, what’s more, you are not in any discomfort.

Given that it’s all too easy to bolt food, it’s no wonder that digestive problems such as IBS are on the rise. (Irritable bowel syndrome - an umbrella term for a broad range of indefinable digestive problems that aren’t actually attributable to a particular disease, yet can be very debilitating.)

Conversely, it makes complete sense that our energy and resistance to a whole range of illnesses rocket, and our moods are more balanced, when we make the effort to eat well. And slowly.

Taking time to prepare our own food – using fresh, nutritious, attractive ingredients – is part of the process too, showing ourselves that we care to make the effort to nourish our bodies and minds. Mealtimes are for cherishing - even if you don’t say grace beforehand.


Natalie Savona



WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Natalie Savona gives individual nutrition consultations at Queens Walk Practice in Exeter. For an appointment, call 01392 422 555. She is the author of The Kitchen Shrink: Food and Recipes for a Healthy Mind (DBP £10.99), available through her website, www.nataliesavona.com.