My next simple natural weight loss tip is: Chew your food thoroughly.

I remember as a child being told to chew each mouthful of food 20-30 times, but never thought about it much. (And as a child, I rarely followed that advice, preferring to gulp food down as quickly as possible, so I could get back out to play. A habit many adults continue, only it’s back to work, instead of play.)

Part of the reason for the recommendation about chewing food thoroughly is to aid digestion. Breaking food down by chewing, and mixing it with saliva, is the beginning of digestion.

The reason it is one of my weight loss tips is that it forces you to eat more slowly, which allows your body to notice when it has eaten enough to be satisfied. When we eat too rapidly, we can eat faster than we can register that we are satisfied. (Some authorities say there is a 10-20 minute delay between eating something and feeling full.)

Your digestion and your waist line will both benefit from today’s weight loss tip: Chew your food thoroughly.