In certain countries and cultures, a meal can last for hours. People sit around a table, whole extended families gathered, and they talk, eat and drink late into the evening.
In the U.S., that just doesn’t happen anymore.
The average meal is 11 minutes long – with some breakfasts and lunches lasting barely 2 minutes.
Personally, my breakfast falls into the 2 minute category. It is just something I get done every day and move on. I do better at lunches and dinners –- though this is mostly because I have toddlers who make every meal take extra long.
But is eating fast a problem?
Should we be concerned?
The answer is “yes” and here are some of the reasons you (and me, and everyone) should eat more slowly:
These tips will help you decide if your truely stomach hungry or just mouth hungry.
I started doing this over two months ago and have lost a total of 12 pounds without actually TRYING to lose weight.
Alot of times I am craving (mouth hungry) a specific food - usually McDonalds lol
After ordering the food of choice off of their menu, I put the tips below into action and usually realize half way threw the meal that my craving is satisfied and I dont finish the meal, resulting in less intake and better weight loss.
The most important thing is - Really taste and "over chew" your food: One obvious benefit to eating more slowly is that you will taste your food more. If you double the amount of time it takes you to eat a meal, you’ll experience more of the flavors, textures and smells of the food you eat. Your food will become more interesting.
Make your meal last for 20-30 minutes or more by chewing slowly and actually liquify the food before swallowing.
This is a huge task in itself to re-train your mind to actually chew instead of just biting and swallowing.
It took me a couple of weeks of kicking myself because my first few bites went down the tubes rather fast before I realized that I was trying to eat and chew slower.
Lose Weight: While you are slowing down, you might find that you learn to stop eating sooner. You might notice that you are full and don’t need that extra bite. Studies show that "fullness" is a complex concept that combines the number of times you chew, the time you spend eating, the look of the food on the plate, as well as the actual amount of food you eat.
Slow down and you may feel full with less.
Choose Better Foods: When you eat slowly, you end up tasting your food more. This is good because the more you pay attention to your foods, the more you will prefer natural, healthy foods.
Here’s why:
Most factory produced foods are carefully designed by food engineers to taste great for the first 3 or so bites. After that the food begins to taste bland and uninteresting (if you don’t believe me, try eating a name-brand cookie for a minute). You feel an urge to eat another cookie or potato chip after just a few chews.
If you slow down and be sure to chew thoroughly, these heavily processed foods will taste pretty disgusting (again, if you don’t believe me, try chewing a potato chip 25 times times – it gets real nasty). Natural foods, on the other hand, stay interesting as you chew them. A strawberry starts out with a burst of juice, but then stays interesting as you chew. Oranges, nuts and vegetables are the same.
Be More Social: Eating can be a social event. Meals are a time when people gather and spend time together.
Once the meal is over, everyone goes their separate ways. By taking more time at a meal, you’ll be able to talk with your friends and family more, improve relationships and feel more connected.
Stop Before You’re Full: It takes your stomach about 20 minutes to produce the hormones that tell your brain that you are full.
This process doesn’t start until your stomach begins to stretch. If you slow down, you give yourself more time to feel full. This gives you a better chance of stopping before you "get stuffed."
Improve Your Digestion: Eating slower and liquifying your food before swallowing gives your stomach more time to start working on the food and an easier time doing it.
When you send an entire meal down your throat in 5 minutes, you may find yourself suffering from indigestion.
Instead, take 20 - 30 minutes to eat the same amount of food. Your stomach will have a much easier job. Eating slower might also result in you chewing more, giving your stomach a head start in the digestive process and allowing your body to absorb more of the vitamins in your food which allow you to benefit and eat less.
The Author of this blog is Barbara Adams, A married mother of 6 children ages 3 - 21.
Barbara loves saving money and finds it a personal challenge for herself to find new ways to save money everyday.
Barbara also runs The Unclaimed Clothing Store on Ebay, a discount family clothing shop.
