THE ART (& SCIENCE!) OF EATING SLOWLY
Have you ever looked up from your plate after finishing a meal to see a family member or your spouse with half their plate still untouched? Or eaten an entire bag of chips standing in front of the pantry and wondered where all the chips went when your hand hit the bottom of the bag?
(*raises hand sheepishly*)
We’ve all done it! In our culture, most of us are rushing from one thing to another, eating in the car, crushing our morning smoothies while we work, eating lunch at our desks, and wolfing our dinners down so we can be done for the day. And unfortunately, eating all of our meals quickly has some downsides.
Let’s look at some research …
Multiple studies have shown that people who self report shorter meal times are more likely to have higher BMIs.
Other studies have found that when subjects intentionally eat slowly, satisfaction and enjoyment of the meal increased while energy intake decreased.
A study done on firefighters and paramedics (who are notorious for eating at super speed between calls) showed that those who reported eating faster gained more weight over 7 years than colleagues who did not report fast eating.
SO WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
When we take time to eat slowly, a few important things happen:
1. DIGESTION IS IMPROVED:
Did you know that digestion actually starts before we put food in our mouths? Our eyes and nose can sense that we’re about to eat a meal, and they begin the process of preparing our bodies for food to enter the system.
Don’t believe me? Think about a tangerine or a Sour Patch kid and notice what happens in your mouth!
Saliva contains enzymes that help break down food and lubricates our chewed food for its imminent journey into our GI system, making it easier on our stomachs to continue to break down food when it arrives. When we slow down and allow ourselves to smell, look at, and prepare for our meal, we start the digestion process.
When we eat fast, we often don’t end up chewing our food completely. This means we send chunks of whole food down the pipe, making our stomachs work overtime to mechanically AND chemically break down food.
Fast eaters tend to eat more food volume than slow eaters, so our bodies end up with MORE food that is LESS digested - meaning our GI system has to go from 0 to 60 really fast, and this can lead to indigestion and GI distress.
Additionally, when we are in our “fight or flight” (sympathetic) nervous system, digestion takes a back seat. If we are eating while stressed, in meetings, sitting in LA traffic (guilty!), we are likely not activating our “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) nervous system. Like the name suggests, the parasympathetic nervous system contributes to optimal digestion.
2. SATISFACTION IS IMPROVED:
It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to sense when our stomachs are full. If we are wolfing down food in just a few minutes, we’re not giving our brains a chance to catch up with our bodies, and we may leave the table feeling unsatisfied or still hungry, though we’ve eaten “enough” food.
When we slow down to chew and experience about our food, we are able to sense the flavors, textures, and tastes of our food. Imagine eating a perfectly cooked steak or sipping on a fancy, expensive bottle of wine - you likely take the time to savor and taste these foods, and take the time to enjoy them.
3. WE ARE LESS LIKELY TO BINGE EAT OR EAT MINDLESSLY
Binge eating is often associated with extremely fast eating and a feeling of being out of control. If we can slow down in the moment of a binge eating episode, we may be able to stay present and feel more in control of the situation.
Slowing down to sense our food and enjoy it can increase our awareness of what we’re eating, which can help us avoid mindlessly overeating.
Though it might seem like an easy task to master, eating slowly can be challenging when we first start.
Here are a few tips that can help:
1. Put your fork down in between bites. Make an effort to focus on the bite in your mouth before you start loading up your fork for the next bite
2. Time yourself! See how long it takes you to eat a meal
3. Try to match your pace with someone who eats slowly
4. Chew your food 10-20 times, until it is a paste
5. Notice and name flavors and textures of your foods as you eat
6. Eat with your non-dominant hand
7. Avoid eating in front of the TV, while scrolling TikTok, or while in a meeting
8. Instead of eating standing up in front of the pantry, put your food on a plate and sit down to enjoy it (yes, even if it’s just a couple crackers!)
9. Pay attention to your physical sensations while you’re eating - check in with yourself regularly during meals to see if you can pick up on your body’s signals that you’re beginning to feel satisfied.
References:
Gerace TA, George VA. Predictors of weight increases over 7 years in fire fighters and paramedics. Prev Med. 1996;25(5):593–600
Leong SL, Madden C, Gray A, Waters D, Horwath C. Faster self-reported speed of eating is related to higher body mass index in a nationwide survey of middle-aged women. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(8):1192–1197.
Otsuka R, Tamakoshi K, Yatsuya H, Murata C, Sekiya A, Wada K, Zhang HM, Matsushita K, Sugiura K, Takefuji S. et al. Eating fast leads to obesity: findings based on self-administered questionnaires among middle-aged Japanese men and women. J Epidemiol. 2006;16(3):117–124
Sasaki S, Katagiri A, Tsuji T, Shimoda T, Amano K. Self-reported rate of eating correlates with body mass index in 18-y-old Japanese women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27(11):1405–1410.
Enjoy your meals and notice how much more satisfied you are with your food!
Happy Eating! - Coach Sarah