Savouring every bite is not only the key to enjoying your food it may also help keep your weight in check!

How many times have you wolfed down food without really tasting it? You probably ate more than you needed to because you didn’t take the time to recognise that you were full. The hormones in your body that regulate appetite were sending signals that it was sated but you went full-speed ahead until the plate was empty.

Eating slower may be a simple but effective way to manage weight gain and even help us to lose weight. New studies from the University of Rhode Island found heavier people eat faster than slimmer people. People who eat faster polish off about 88 grams of food per minute. Slow eaters consume 57 grams of food per minute– more than a third less. “It takes time for your body to process fullness signals, so slower eating may allow time for fullness to register in the brain before you’ve eaten too much”, says Kathleen Melanson associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island.

Her previous research found eating slowly reduces the amount of food we ingest. Women who were told to eat quickly consumed 646 calories in 9 minutes. When the same women were told to eat the same food pausing between each bite and chew food 15-20 times before swallowing, they consumed 579 calories over a 29 minute period.

Similarly, research at Osaka University in Japan studied the eating habits of 3000 people and found men who ate fast were 84% more likely to be overweight. Fast eating women were twice as likely to be overweight compared with women who ate slowly.

Fast Living…Fast Food

“In Australia we seem to have a culture where people eat quickly and don’t actually taste their food”, says Melanie McGrice, a spokeswoman for the Dietitians Association of Australia. Rushed eating means we often reach for convenience foods that can be devoured quickly…..usually highly processed!

The University of Rhode Island found when people ate wholegrain foods instead of highly processed items, they ate more slowly because the foods contain more fibre and needed more chewing.  Skipping meals during the day also leads to fast overeating….when we are overly hungry we eat really fast.

How Do We Slow Things Down?

• Focus on the flavour and texture of each mouthful
• Have teaspoon –sized mouthfuls of food
• Chew each mouthful 15—20 times
• Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls
• Aim to only have a few bites of food a minute
• If you think you are starting to feel full, stop eating. Wait for 10-15 minutes and if you still feel full stop eating
• Include plenty of wholegrain foods in each and every meal
• Do Not skip meals.

Give it a try and you will soon realise that half the time we don’t even think about what or how we are eating!