Take it Slow: The Benefits of Slow Eating

I’m guessing you’re familiar with the old saying, “eat, drink and be merry.”  I think we need a 21^st century update along the lines of “eat (slowly), drink (water), and be (more) merry.”  Perhaps the easiest thing one can do to lose or maintain weight is to slow down your pace of eating.  It’s really that simple…or is it?

In our busy, hectic, chaotic lives, many people feel they just don’t have the time to slow down and enjoy their food.  We eat at our desks, in front of a screen, while driving from soccer practice to clarinet practice, or we binge eat while binge watching “Better Call Saul.”  It’s one of the best ways to add unwanted weight because we eat fast and are generally unaware of what we’re eating.  Hey, slow down and smell the roses, or how about slow down and enjoy your food?  Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Study after study reveals that eating slowly helps you eat less.  It’s a generally accepted fact among nutritionists and other medical professionals.  People who constantly eat quickly tend to be heavier and gain more weight over time when compared to slow eaters.  Don’t take my word for it, Google “benefits of slow eating” and you’ll get access to studies and articles that essentially state the same fact over and over.

Once you accept this fact, you can then create a plan to slow down at mealtime and practice what some call mindful eating.  Mindful eating simply means being aware of your food and eating habits, to include aromas, tastes, textures, colors, ingredients, your dining environment, and, most importantly, yourself.  Be aware of what you’re eating, how you’re eating it, where you’re eating and the effect eating has on you and your body.

But why does eating slowly aid with weight loss and are there other benefits?  There are a couple of reasons and other benefits derived, so let’s create one of my famous bullet lists…

• Your brain is slow in receiving signals from your tummy regarding your level of fullness. When we start eating, hormones are released in our digestive tract (ghrelin in particular) that inform us, via our brains, when we’re full.  However, it takes about 20 minutes for those hormones to get that information to our brains and during those 20 minutes we continue to stuff food into our faces.  This increases our calorie intake (and those calories are largely unnecessary) which, in turn, adds unwanted/unneeded weight.  By slowing down, it gives that ghrelin time to get to your brain to say, “stop, that’s enough.”
• It reduces stress as we don’t feel the need to scarf fast food down in between more stressful appointments or events. Anytime we slow down and enjoy the moment(s) reduces stress levels to include slow eating.  One way to ensure you have the time to eat slowly is to schedule it into your day prior to your day beginning.   You know, something like: 12:15-1:00 lunch with Tom in company dining room.
• It aids with digestion and nutrient absorption especially if you use a technique that helps you eat slowly…spend more time chewing. The more you use your teeth and saliva to breakdown food, the easier it becomes for you stomach and intestines to finish the job.

I know those are only three benefits, but they are hugely significant to your well being.  And if you’re having trouble slowing down at the table, here are a few tips to help, aside from chewing more.

• Set your utensils down often and look around. Look at a picture on the wall you’ve walked past hundreds of times but never noticed, talk to your dining companions, look out a window and see what’s out there, or assess your wardrobe.  Just do something to relax and enjoy the moment.
• Drink more Again, this can be used as a delay tactic and can temporarily fill valuable stomach space with something that has no calories.  Everyone tells you to stay hydrated anyway.
• Avoid extreme hunger as this causes all of us to eat a lot of food in a short amount of time. One way to avoid this is to graze on healthy, low-cal snacks throughout your day.
• Use a timer during a normal, hurried and harried meal. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can scarf down 1,000 calories or so.  Many of us manage to do so in 5 minutes or so.  Then, begin setting the timer for 10 minutes, then 15, until you’re spending 25 minutes or so enjoying your meal.

While eating slow won’t help your cardiovascular system or increase muscle mass, it can be an effective and simple method to shed some unwanted weight.  Just remember what Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”  Just apply this timeless quote to mealtime.