Run faster, bike harder, move more quickly – these are the phrases you expect to hear when your personal trainer or fitness coach is trying to help you lose weight. You’ve probably never been told to “slow down” before. Well, when it comes to eating to lose weight, slowing down is exactly what you need to do.

There are a few kinds of eaters in the world. There’s the girl who takes fooorrreeevvveeer to finish her food (probably because she is talking so much she doesn’t have time to take a bite). Then there’s the guy who is done with his burger before you’ve even unfolded your napkin (he’s the one eye-balling your French fries while you eat). Then there’s the in-betweener. She doesn’t eat too fast, but she’s able to finish her meal before it goes cold. Like most other things in fitness and health, that in-between “grey area” is a healthy, happy place to be.

When I was a teenager I would drive straight from volleyball practice to a 3-hour gymnastics practice 3 days a week. My coach stocked the freezer with Hot Pockets, so that I could devour one while changing and hit the floor as fast as possible. Don’t ask me how I demolished Hot Pockets before flipping around and doing push-ups for the next 3 hours. Do I recommend doing that? Ah, no. Like I said, teenager. Do I eat like that nowadays? Again with the no.

The benefits of eating slowly range from physiological reactions like better digestion to mental reactions like increased satisfaction. These have a big impact on losing weight.

It’s not abnormal to eat incredibly fast. We live fast paced lives, moving from meeting to meeting and to-do-list item to deadline with little time in between to sit down for a meal. The unfortunate reality is that it’s exactly this fast-paced life that leaves little time or energy for you to take care of your health. Learning to eat slowly is a powerful way to slow down your daily routine, increase your weight loss efforts and even add years to your life.

Benefits of Eating Slowly

You’ll Have Better Digestion

The digestion process starts at the first thought, sight or smell of food. You start to salivate, your stomach prepares itself to do work, etc. You know why you tie your shoes before you start running? Because bad things happen if you don’t. If you don’t give your system time to prepare, bad things (in your G.I. tract), can happen.

Eating slowly improves digestion in two ways. It gives your body time to chemically prepare itself (release enzymes and stomach acid), which help to break down food starting in your mouth and all the way down to your stomach. It also increases the amount of time you use for mechanical breakdown (chewing). The more you chew your food, the less work your stomach is forced to do to get rid of that “rock in your stomach” feeling that results from inhaling your meal.

You’ll Eat Less without Trying

Studies show that people who eat quickly tend to eat more calories in less time than people who take their time eating. It takes your brain roughly 20 minutes to recognize that it’s satiated and to signal to your body that it’s full. When was the last time lunch took you 20 minutes to eat?

The simple act of slowing down your eating will help you to recognize when your body tells you it has had enough. These bodily cues are powerful – powerful enough to help you stop eating even if there is food left on your plate. You just have to take the time to listen.

You’ll Naturally Make Better Food Choices

If you increase the amount of time you spend at the table eating your food, you will inevitably taste what you are eating to a larger degree than if you were inhaling a granola bar on the trip from your car to the front door at work. If it tastes good, you’ll savor the flavors and textures and smells. If it tastes mediocre, chances are you will make a different decision next time you plan a meal.

Scary truth: most processed food that comes out of a factory is very carefully designed to taste good for a few bites. After that, meh. If you’ve just crushed a Chips Ahoy in 3 bites, you might be tempted to grab another one, and another. If you slow down and taste the Chips Ahoy, you might find it tastes a bit like cardboard, and refrain from eating the second or third cookie.

Read more about processed food dependency.

On the other hand, slowing down and savoring natural foods like fresh berries or roasted nuts will help you to re-realize how amazing they taste, and help you to reach for them again next time you’re hungry. My best friends baby prefers avocado, black beans and broccoli over other things. I’m convinced that’s because a) she’s a really slow eater (she’s so advanced for a year and a half year old), so she tastes how good real food is and b) her taste buds haven’t been inundated with processed junk food. If only we all had a mom-who-feeds-us-forever who gave us raspberries instead of Doritos.

You’ll Enjoy Meals More

Think about the holidays that live as happy memories in your mind. Thanksgivings, Passovers, Christmas’…these holidays often involve enormous feasts and traditional meals. And while yes, the food is often delicious in its own right, that’s not why the memory lingers. The happy memories linger because of the enjoyment you got from the moments that were lived around the table.

Meals bring families and friends together. Food is an important part of culture, heritage and celebration. Spending time at the table, sharing a meal and a moment, savoring flavors and favorite dishes…that’s the enjoyment that food should be. And that’s a great reason to linger over bites.

9 Tips to Slow Down Eating

Eating fast is a way of life in North America. It doesn’t need to be and if you’re trying to improve your health and lose weight, it shouldn’t be. Choose a couple of these tips to practice in your daily life.

Put Down Your Utensil between Bites

The simple act of placing your fork on your plate between bites adds valuable time to your meal. Take a moment to put down your utensil, take a breath and savor your food before taking another bite.

Have a Conversation

You can always tell who the story-teller is at a table by seeing who has a full plate of food left when everyone else is done. Be the storyteller. Engage in conversation and make meal time less about consuming food and more about enjoying the moment.

Chew Each Bite 20 Times

My great-grandmother used to tell my mom to chew each bite 20 times before swallowing it. I’m pretty sure she said this in order to teach my mom to be lady-like, and not because my great-grandmother was a digestive system guru, but it’s still good advice. Chew. You have teeth, use them more.

Use Different Utensils

Have you ever seen someone using chopsticks inhale their meal? Nope, because it’s impossible. Switching from using a fork or spoon to using a smaller utensil or better yet, a tougher-to-use utensil, leaves you with no choice but to slow down.

Get Rid of Distractions

Distractions take your mind off in a direction that is anywhere but the food on your plate, making it much more likely that you finish your meal without even realizing it. Pay more attention to what you are eating as you eat it, and you are more likely to slow down. The e-mail can wait. The text message can wait. YOU can wait until the drive is over.

Set Aside Meal Time

Make meal time important. Set aside at least 20 minutes, set the table, fix yourself a real plate, ask someone to eat with you. Taking the time to eat and allowing yourself to be in the moment will help you slow down and enjoy.

Take a Sip of Water

Taking a sip of water between bites takes the “put your fork down” strategy to the next level. Plus, it keeps you hydrated and fills your belly with zero-calorie h20.

Pace Yourself with a Slow or Picky Eater

Don’t act weird and stare to hard, but find someone who practices slow-eating habits already. Eat lunch with them.

Choose Real Food (preferably with fiber)

You know what takes time to chew? Real food. You know what doesn’t take time to chew? Food with no real substance. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great example of real food, with fiber, that take time to chew.

Bonus Message

Setting a weight loss goal is admirable. But setting the goal is just the first step. You have to take action every day to build the skills to achieve the goal. Slowing down when you eat is a great first step (or second or third), to make that happen.