Does eating slowly help?

serasv

I've seen things in the past that have said that if you eat your food slower, you tend to eat less. It gives your body more time to realize it's full or something. My sources haven't exactly been scientific, but I've decided to give it a shot. My main thought is like, "It couldn't hurt to try, right?"

So I've been trying to eat more slowly. Make sure I chew my food well, put my fork down, take a few seconds in between bites. Problem is I keep catching myself just go for a second bite without thinking. I have to consciously stop myself. I'm starting to notice how if I don't try, I just eat so quickly. So I'm not eating less, just making an effort to eat more slowly.

I guess the reason I post here, is I'm curious if anyone else has tried something similar. If so, how was your experience? Did it help keep you full or make you feel like your meals were more fulfilling? I'd love some thoughts on this.

khall86790

Yes, eating slower does give you the opportunity to realise you are full before you finish your meal. The best way to put it into practice is to have a meal that you need a knife and fork for and you need to cut into your food, as it's easy to spoon/fork it in quickly if it's for example, pasta.
Also, this is best practiced when at a meal whilst being sociable with others or whilst doing something else as well as eating. If you sit alone you tend to eat quickly to get it out of the way so you can do something more interesting!

magerum

Personal preference

sunnyskys2013

I think it works one day i was having lunch with a friend i had brought the same salad i always eat. A taco salad without chips same amount i always eat but i was talking and i got about half way though and i was full. So i think that while i was talking my body realized i was full.

Cheeky_0102

There is also a lot to be said for mindful eating... that is not eating because it's in front of you, but conciously enjoying your food. Taking a small bite, chewing it properly, enjoying the time to eat. Not rushing from one thing to another, shoving half a burger in your face so you can move on.

JCES10

I had tried it before and it works, the problem is that I forget to do it every time I eat.

I think it'll be good to have a little ritual before eating like a five minute relaxing time or something like that.

Athena53

It absolutely makes a difference. Unfortunately, in the US we learn early in school that the faster you eat lunch, the more time you have for recess. VERY bad training. I also think that a lot of the processed foods we eat are made to go down quickly and easily with minimal chewing. Think about the difference between the time it takes to eat a few sliders (why do you think they call them "sliders"?) and the time it takes to eat a large salad. DH looks for crunchy granola bars and it seems like 95% of them are chewy. That makes it easy to gobble one down and reach for another one.

You definiteoly eat less if you slow down and enjoy what you're eating.