Hara Hachi Bu Requires…
In our Formula 7 course we have been focusing on eating to 80% full, or Hara Hachi Bu, as the Japanese call it.
There is another principle that goes along with Hara Hachi Bu: eating slowly and mindfully.
When you eat slowly and mindfully, your body has time to send the “I’m full” signals to your brain, letting you know you are full. Research tells us that there is about a 20 minute delay between the stomach sending signals to the brain indicating it’s full. So, if you rush your meal, by the time you “feel” 80% full, you may be 110% full, but not know it for 20 minutes!
So when you try to eat to 80% full, this concept of slow, mindful eating and awareness of just how full you actually are is training your mind and stomach to work together. What a concept!
And as you become more mindful about enjoying each bite slowly, and being aware of your actual fullness level as a percentage, you are re-calibrating your appetites and hunger levels to be in harmony with your best possible health potential.
It’s really not that hard. But the long term effects can be astounding, especially if you have in the past been a gorger or a yo-yo dieter.
For more on eating slowly, check out this post. These two concepts together, of Hara Hachi Bu, and eating slowly and mindfully, can make a massive difference in health, yet they are super easy to do, totally free, and when done right, can change your relationship to food to be one of even more enjoyment than you have now, without the negatives of over-eating:
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