The Slow Food Movement: Lessons from Sloths

Sloths have the lowest metabolic rate of any mammal. One of the reasons they are so slow is because of their super slow digestion. A sloth takes 30 days to digest a meal. Other animals can digest the same meal in a matter of hours.

Our eating habits have become quite different than our tree hugging friends. Eating on the run, fast food, frozen foods, convenience foods, pre-packaged foods. Eating the kids leftovers, standing at the counter while you shove snacks into your mouth. Oh and my favorite, multi-tasking eating. Eating while you are watching TV, driving, working, scrolling, etc. It’s seldom we even have the patience to cook a fresh meal, sit down and eat that meal, let the meal digest and clean up afterwards – all while doing nothing but eating and enjoying the meal. No multi-tasking. Try doing this without checking your phone.

In this super fast modern world, where we tend to live at the speed of technology and not the speed of humanity, can we have patience and be content enough to nourish our bodies without multitasking? Can we be like the sloth and allow our food to digest before running off to the next event or practice or “thing” that we “have” to do?

I’m learning how important my digestion is and how important it is my health and healing. And I’m also learning that I have some AWFUL food habits. Yes, I do have healthy food in the house. I do cook. Still, I am also guilty of everything I stated above and more (eating late night snacks in bed while watching TV with my husband – OMG!, lol). Noticing is just the beginning. Its always a journey.