How to eat your meals slowly and more mindfully

How quickly are you eating your meals?

We've all been there where we started snacking on something mindlessly and before we realised it the whole packet is gone.

Ignorance is bliss... but it can be seriously underminding us.

By eating rapidly and mindlessly we are more likely to eat more than we planned (or wanted to) which could be subtly hindering us from achieving our nutrition and body composition goals.

This is where practicing intentional and mindful eating can help.

What can you do to eat more slowly?

I am yet to perfect the eating slowly approach, but I am working on it every day. Here are 5 tips to help us all to eat more slowly:

Remove distractions. Try not to eat on the move or while there are distractions like TV around you. Focus on enjoying the moment and what you are eating and practice mindfulness with your food.

Put the fork down. Putting the cutlery down between bites can prompt you to be more mindful, focus on chewing each mouthful and speak with others you share your meals with.

Have a (two-sided) conversation. Don't let others steal all the conversation during a meal. Take intentional pauses between mouthfuls to continue your dinner table conversations and slow down your eating.

Chew more! Digestion starts in the mouth. You could try aiming for a minimum number of chews before swallowing each mouthful. Chew each mouthful well and swallow well before you reach for your fork again.

Eat with slow eaters. It's common to change your eating speed to match those around you. If you have a friend who always seems to finish their meal 20 minutes behind you, try eating with them regularly. Their slower eating pace could influence you in slowing down your own eating pace.

Gemma

General Nutrition, InfographicsGemma Sampson9 January 2020