Eat Slowly: It Really Does Work
An increasing number of books advise eating slowly - but what evidence is there to back this advice? Finally a small study has shown that eating slowly really can lead to reduced caloric intake and an increased sense of fullness.
Lead researcher Kathleen Melanson had 30 normal-weight college-age women consumer a large bowl of pasta. They were asked to eat the food quickly. On a second occasion they were asked to eat the same meal - but to really take their time.
The Results
- Eating quickly - consumed 646 calories in 9 minutes.
- Eating slowly - consumed 579 calories in 29 minutes.
Upon completion of the meal and an hour afterward, the women were less satisfied and hungrier when eating quickly compared with when they ate slowly. They said they enjoyed the meal more when they were taking their time. (via USA Today)
More water was consumed during the "slow eat" - so this may have contributed to the feeling of fullness.
Another study published in the Journal of Clinical Endrocrinology and Metabolism discovered that when participants ate an ice cream over the course of 30 minutes, they had higher levels of gut hormones that trigger satiety, than those who ate the ice cream in 5 minutes.
5 Tricks to Eating Slowly
- Eat mindfully. Sit at a table, not on your couch, and never in front of the TV or in your car. Note how long it takes you to finish a meal.
- Set your fork down between each bite while you savor your food and swallow. Enjoy some dinner conversation, then have another bite. Better yet, try eating with chopsticks!
- Practice a slower pace at meal time. So often we're pressed into hurrying through meals by other responsibilities. Schedule meals so that you have time to relax and enjoy your food.
- Stop half way through your meal, drink some water, and as yourself, "Am I full?"
- Change the way you look at meals and mealtime. Spend time creating healthy meals with a variety of tastes and textures.
Just like changing any other habit, learning to slow down at meal times takes practice and hard work.
Treating mealtime as a time to recharge and nourish your body will not only repair an unhealthy relationship with food, But, giving those hormones in your gut a chance to catch up will reduce the number of calories eaten at each sitting.
Read More
- 5 Calorie Slashes to Lose 1 Pound a Week (Diet Blog)
- Shed an Extra 3000 Calories This Holiday Season (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
28 Comments
Add Your Comment
Created / Updated: November 9, 2011
I agree with that. I make an effort to eat slower and enjoy my food. When I do I'm always more satisfied. It just makes sense.
ReplyI totally agree.
Sometimes I do the following:
* Put my fork/spoon down between bites
* Check eat bite 15 times, or more
* Drink a glass of water after each bite
When I do the above, I eat slower, don't finish my food, and take at least 30 minutes to eat.
But alas, most people are gluttons and simply shove the food in their mouths. I bet if they were to vomit they would find chunks of food and would be able to easily identify each food particle.
People do not realize that CHEWING is the first step in digestion.
ReplyOops! CHEW each bite 15 times, or more.
ReplyGreat advice, it comes down to priorities.... putting health first and giving more TIME to our nutrition, preparing healthy meals and eating in a relaxed way.
The slow eating idea has been around for a while. A guy called Fletcher I think it must have been advises us to 'Fletcherize' our food - chew it until it's liquid basically.
ReplyIt's true...eating slower really does make you feel more satisfied. I often use chopsticks when I eat because it forces me to go slower and really enjoy my food.
I don't think I could chew everything til it's liquid though...I'm not that obsessive.
ReplyI believe, from personal experience, that it works too. I'm actually learning to chew things, especially meat, until they're liquid. I do it for a different reason though. The older books written by bodybuilders will tell you to chew your food thoroughly. It's not how much protein you eat, but how much you digest. None of the books coming out these days mention that at all, but I think it's very important.
ReplyI have a huge problem with eating too fast. I grew up in a house with no leftovers. If you left your dinner on the table, or wrapped it up and put it in the fridge, it was fair game to be eaten by someone else.
Thus, with a lot of my meals I feel the need to eat everything on my plate and more.
Because of this, I tend to get stressed if my meal isn't portion controlled (I measure it out, or it's a frozen dinner, etc). I've realized that if it isn't, I will overeat, especially when I have access to second helpings.
ReplyVery interesting, I've never actually thought about how fast I eat affecting my diet but it's good advice...
ReplyMaybe so, but have you ever seen chunks of meat in your stools?
Chewing is more important for grains, vegetables and nuts, I believe. The fiberous stuff.
Still a good thing.
Replydo you have a menue plan i could follow with out sugar.1200 cal a day diet.
Replyyes i believe eating slower is better for loseing weight or just plan healthyer.
ReplyIt totally works for me. I was 58kg this summer and started to eat as slow as possible on each meal:
*I drink water (hot tea is better, it makes you feel full and warm immediately, and it is good for bowels),
*definitely use napkins (after every bite I wipe a bit),
*chew a lot(but don't really count the bites)
*put my focus on the taste,the toung-- which means I try to "analysis" the taste of the food, even just a sandwich.
*Eat slow, Eat Less, Eat Good.
within few month I drop to 48 kg! I didn't do any exercise at all, instead, I eat and cook more often.
Think about this, why not save the chances to try more kinds of food a day?That is, if you can only consume 800 calories a day, why not distribute it to 5 kinds of food (with small amount) instead of one hamburger?
ReplyAll good points AMIE, but most people are gluttons and want instant satisfaction.
They want satisfaction - taste, fullness - from the food immediately, and thus, they eat quickly.
And then they want to lose weight quickly.
LOL. Never ending cycle with some people. I just hope I don't head down that path.
ReplyI totally agree on eating slow... and about using chopsticks... that's smart! I need to get a pair of them again.
ReplyAnd about the plate of pasta pictured post, i think it's the ugliest thing ever seen in my life :) it's so sticky and overcooked that looks like a brain ;)
I definitely eat way too fast. Comes from growing up in a houseful of hearty and eager eaters. But I have learned to slow down by using my opposite hand when I eat. This has really helped me.
Reply