The Benefits of Eating Slowly Include:
- Healthier digestion.
- Better hydration.
- More natural weight loss or maintenance.
- Higher satisfaction with our food.
Where Digestion Starts
Did you realise that digestion begins in the mouth? It works as the start of the whole digestive tract. From that initial bite, that first taste, chewing, lets your body and its fluids break down food. Effective digestion involves eating slowly to improve your digestive system function at its best.
In addition, if you experience heartburn, it is helpful to eat well and have it slowly because the stomach won’t require creating as much stomach acid to break down the food.
Give Your Taste Buds a Chance.
Taste buds enable us to feel sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavours. The average person has 5,000-10,000 of these small sensory organs on their tongue.
Eating food longer gives taste buds a greater chance to perform. Your nose also plays a role in savouring foods. As you chew, the food reliefs chemicals that go into your nose—the receptors inside signal the brain about the flavouring of food.
Possibly you can recognise how eating slowly can enhance the pleasure of eating even the most common foods. All foods taste better when you take the time to enjoy the subtle flavours you might otherwise miss.
It Takes Some Time to Recognizes It's Full.
As you eat, your stomach releases hormones that get incorporated into your bloodstream. Eventually, the brain recognises these hormones and processes the data as hunger or fullness.
A gut-brain signalling system drives eating when hungry and signals you to stop consuming when you are full. It takes about 20 minutes for this conversation to happen, so eating more slowly helps you see the fullness signs and are efficiently full.
When you eat fast, it becomes easy to overeat and filled to the brim before seeing that you are full. So, eating slowly can benefit you lose weight if you regularly consume extra calories by eating fast “full.”
Better Hydration
Don't Miss the Pleasure of Eating.
If you’re a quick and intense eater, work on staying mentally present while having so you can enjoy your food completely while you slow down to enjoy it.
A “Silent lunch” is a joint group activity at careful eating conversations. Imagine a group of people eating together in silence. Without the disturbance of communication, each person can fully enjoy their food. Yes, it may sound uncomfortable and unusual, but usually, the result is a precious, “Eye-opening” experience.
Ideas for Eating Slowly and Savouring Your Food
- Concentrate and start the meal relaxed. Take some deep breaths to become relaxed and focused before you start eating.
- Express gratitude. Would you please take the time to think and give thanks for your meal and the nourishment it provides?
- Respect the food. See the colours, textures, and arrangement.
- Savour the fragrance. Smell the food. Remember, the nose serves us fully taste food.
- Stay connected while eating. Notice the temperatures, flavourings, elements, spices, and textures.
- Eat with a tool and put it down in between bites.
- Eat one piece of food at a time rather than a handful when consuming foods like seeds, popcorn, chips, crackers, nuts, chocolate, sweets, etc.
- Sip beverages rather than gulping.
- Avoid disturbances like reading, TV, computer, or multi-tasking. If you listen to music, pick moderate tempo songs. Eating with fast-paced music can boost the speed at which you eat.
Also Read: Cut Your Portion Size Without Feeling Hungry
