Eating slowly is of the utmost importance in healthy weight management: when we eat slowly, the brain has time to get the signal that we’re full, and we can avoid overeating.

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When food arrives in the stomach, the digestive procedure starts, which releases enzymes as well as hormones that provide feedback to the brain. After approximately 20 minutes, the stomach signals the brain that food has arrived –and if sufficient food has been eaten, that it feels full.
Food for thought: are you a slow eater?

This signaling process is called the satiety mechanism. It acts through both physical means, by expanding, as well as through biochemical means via hormones. The brain, on its part, then sends a message back saying “I’m full, you can stop eating.”

When you eat too fast, it may enable you to eat past the point of satiety, because messages cannot be exchanged between the stomach and nervous system as fast as you might be eating. You also may not be aware of how much you are eating, Awareness not only allows signals to be sent, received, and responded to appropriately, but it also enables us to enjoy the food and thus arrive at the end of a right-sized meal more content.

Many overweight people admit to their tendency to eat very fast. Sometimes they report swallowing the food even without chewing, and sometimes not paying attention to or remembering what they ate.

How fast are we eating? Does it ever happen that at the end of a reasonably sized meal we tell ourselves that we’re still hungry and feel like we haven’t had enough to eat?

As previously stated, there is a 20 minute time gap between the moment the stomach is full and the moment the brain receives a signal of fullness. Only then can the brain send a message that you can stop eating. The slower you eat, the more you increase your chance of benefiting from the fullness message, and ending a meal when your nutritional needs have been met.

Research shows that people who eat slower eat less. A study conducted at Rhode Island University demonstrated this point well. In this research, a group of 30 women was asked to eat pasta meal on two separate days, first with large spoons and at a fast pace without pausing between bites, and second with smaller spoons and at a slow pace, chewing every bite 15-20 times. Eating fast caused the women to consume 646 calories within an average of 9 minutes, whereas when they ate slowly they consumed only 579 calories within an average of 29 minutes – a 10% difference. Moreover, the women who ate slowly reported feeling fuller.

Help yourself to eat more slowly

  • Put your silverware down after every bite, and wait a couple of seconds before the next bit.
  • Look at your watch and see what time the meal started at and when it ended. Keep track of how long every meal takes, and try lengthening the meal time at every opportunity by eating slower.
  • Set a large artifact in front of you that reminds you to eat slower. Every time you’ll look at it, remind yourself: “this means that I should eat slower”.
  • Eat in a comfortable and quiet environment, as peacefully as possible. The less you feel stressed the more you’ll be able to concentrate on what you’re eating.
  • Make your food your main focus. Enjoy the smell of it, its taste, and the texture of every bite.
  • Try to minimize the sources of distraction as much as you can, such as reading the newspaper, watching television, using the computer, making a phone call etc. while you’re eating. It’s very easy to let your attention wander while doing these things during meals or snacks. The price for that is very high, since that is how satiety from the meal can be diminished.

Remember! Though the starting point for slowing your eating pace can be hard, persistence leads to success.

Learn how to maximize your success with the Trim Down Club.

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Comments 13

  1. having a bad gastric problem I have had to adapt this slow and small bite sized eating pattern over the last few years. it is hard to change your habits but if you can then you will see a benefit, 1. in the smaller amounts that will fill you, 2. your portion size will reduce, and stomach acids can be reduced helping you control your weight and cravings . try to perceiver it is a worthy exercise, you’ll see.

  2. Constantly having to remind myself to eat more slowly, I love the idea of a large artifact at the table. I do tend to get up from the table often, and I like using a small appetizer fork or smaller spoon for soup to control smaller bites and slower eating.

  3. Due to where we lived, (remote area) I was required to go to boarding school. During meal times, it was eat quicky or someone else will grab it. So I got into a bad habit…. Later on in life, I often realized that I finished my food before everyone else, but never put two and two together. NOW I know that over the years, this habit is one of the contributors which have lead to my current obese situation. Thank you for the information! Now, the challenge is to S-L-O-O-O-W DOWN! Personal commitments are so hard, but personal success is so rewarding!

  4. My sister is three years older than me and we have often teased her about eating soooo slow and always being the last one done with a meal. Well, guess what she weighs 129 and I (only 2″ taller) weigh 2…. My goal is to look like her. I have started timing my meals and really realized how fast I was eating. Time for a big change!

  5. THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION . I AM A 57 YEAR OLD FEMALE THAT HAS TYPE 2 DIABETES AND NOW AFT ER BEING DIAGNOSED AROUND 6 YEARS AGO I HAVE TO STOP EATING WHAT I WANT AND TAKING MY MEDS LIKE IT WAS O.K. BUT NOW MY BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS ARE OVER THE PLACE .AND I KNOW THAT I DON,T WANT TO GO ON INSULIN .I AM READY TO GET SERIOUS AND START EATING BETTER. I HAVE NO ENERGY AND I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE DAY AT THE TIME. THANKS!

  6. I really like my food to be hot when I eat it, so I tend to eat a lot faster than I should. I Know that I don’t chew my food as long as I could/should, so I can work on that, for sure.
    In order to keep my food from cooling down so quickly, maybe I need to invest in some kind of plate (like some restaurants use especially for steaks ) so that I can heat up that will keep my food hot??? Any ideas????

  7. This makes sense. In trying to reshape my body I have resolved to reshape my life. Regardless of what is going on I feel like I need to slow down in almost everything and “smell the roses”. I’m definitely going to make an effort to eat slowly and enjoy my meal and my meal time.

  8. This is something I’ve heard all my life, but never applied it to change my habits. However now, I am my personal project of a work in progress, and I will take all things into consideration as I work on changing me. Thank you.

  9. all my life I have been eating fast . but reading this article explanig how to do the right thing ,surprised me so much .it is awsome what I discover. thank you for your tips. I think I am aware now of It ,I will start right now to change this habit.

    SINCERILY YOURS

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