Eating Fast? Slow Down

When the aroma of food leaves you intoxicated and senseless, you succumb to your inner animalistic nature and swallow every chunk your fork can land on, but what you don’t know is that the faster you eat, the more calories you’ll be taking in.

According to scientific research, it takes about 20 minutes for the fullness signals from your stomach to reach the brain–that’s a huge lag time. If you eat fast, you might fill up that 20 minute lag time and end up eating more when you’re actually full. Slowing down when eating allows the natural signals of fullness a chance to register thereby allowing you to take in the right amount and savor the taste, smell and texture of food.

Don’t let the food taunt get the best of you. Learn how to eat slowly starting with these tip:

Down with the fork–putting your fork down between bites when eating kills time and helps you slow down eating.

Eat at the right place–only eat in a proper place such as the dining table. Designating a place to eat disciplines your eating habits and contributes to decreasing your eating speed. It also helps you control impulsive cravings.

Eat with people–eating with other people alters your eating speed by distracting you from your food.

Chew–chew more often to keep your mouth busy with food longer.

Drink–sipping water forces you to slow down, and distends your stomach, sending satiety signals to your brain.

So, the next time you eat fast, think again and slow down. You might just be doing good to your health than gaining much already without knowing it! (Adapted by Daryll Arcayan)

Sources: How Stuff Works, HuffingtonPost

Photo above: You might just be doing good to your health when slowing down in eating, than gaining much before you know it! (Image credit: www.washingtonian.com)