Slow Eating is Healthy Eating
As the youngest of three children, I often found myself at the dinner table well after everyone else had finished and been excused. Somewhere during the growing up years I learned to eat fast so I wouldn’t be left behind. Now I wish I could slow down.
Eating Fast Causes Problems
Eating fast causes several problems for me. One is digestion, or rather indigestion. Sometimes it seems that my stomach can’t keep up with my mouth. (In fact it takes 15-20 minutes for the digestive juices to do their job, so fast eating can overwhelm the digestive system.) I’m often finished before I’m aware I’ve started; I want more because I’m not ready to be done, even though my plate is empty, so I take seconds. I don’t know if I’m hungry or not. I do know that when I manage to eat slower I feel fuller and more satisfied when I’m finished with my meal.
Other problems with fast eating are social. Slower eaters (and that includes just about everyone I know) feel uncomfortable when they’re still eating and I’m done. Finishing quickly often interrupts the flow of conversation, especially at a restaurant when the waiter clears my plate before my friends are half done.
Slow Eating = Less Eating
Research confirms that slower eating results in less eating. A study at the University of Rhode Island shows a direct relation between slow eating and less calorie intake. The study also found that eating slowly results in a greater sense of fullness after eating. Researchers at the Nagoya University in Japan reached a similar conclusion: fast eating among middle age men and women leads to obesity.
Tips for Eating More Slowly
I don’t need any more convincing that it’s healthier to eat more slowly; I just need to do it. Here are some slow eating tips I’m going to try:
Take small bites and chew every mouthful at least four or five times before swallowing. Wait until your mouth is empty before you take another bite.
Put your utensil down after every bite. Don’t pick it up until you’ve swallowed the food that’s in your mouth.
Don’t do others things when you’re eating. People tend to eat more quickly if they’re reading or watching TV as they eat. If you’re dining with another person, talk only when your mouth is empty.
When you sit down to the dinner table, rest a brief moment before digging in. Remind yourself to eat slowly and savor the food. Take occasional short breaks during the meal.
Vary your diet. We tend to eat faster when we eat familiar food. Interesting food slows us down so we can experience the new tastes and aromas.
Schedule meals so you’re not rushed and can relax.
Don’t eat in your car.
Rewards of Slow Eating
The rewards of slow eating reach well beyond our stomachs. As slow eater Joanna Suzanne (not her real name) puts it, “If I start each meal by just noticing what is on the plate…it slows me down. It makes me more aware of what I’m eating. I chew more and this definitely makes me eat less.
When we eat slowly we have time to appreciate our food and the world around us. It’s all part of healthy living.
