Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
Your Eating Speed: Too Fast Means You Overeat
“Olympic speed eaters will usually eat until they feel full,” says Gee, who isn’t talking about culinary athletes, but rather, with humor, the average Joe and Jane who shovel in their food every night.
“It takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes for the signal of [fullness] to reach the brain,” explains Gee. “This is where portion control goes out the window.”
In other words, it takes some time for your stomach to talk to your brain, and speed eaters are taking in too much too fast before the message can be received. Eating more slowly could give that all-important message the time to register before you undermine your best calorie-counting intentions with an extra scoop of mac ’n’ cheese.
Your basic goal: “Try not to be the first person finished at the table,” advises Gee.
Your Eating Speed: Chew Slowly for Comfort and Control
Your eating habits and your digestion begin with good chewing habits. “Chewing your food is the first step in digestion, and skipping this step makes it harder for proper digestion,” says Gee.
Taking time to chew not only slows your eating speed, but can also help you feel better after a meal. “Many of my patients tell me how surprised they are that they have less heartburn as a result of chewing more and slowing down. They do not use antacids anymore.”
Also, chewing slowly allows you to better enjoy your food, a tasty benefit for people who are trying to appreciate the value of smaller portions.
Your Eating Speed: Fast, Slow, or Moderate?
Dinner isn’t a speed race, but you might wonder where your eating speed rates in comparison to friends and family. There are no standard measures of eating speed, and how fast or slow you eat depends a lot on what the food is, your utensils, and how much there is of it. But you know you are a slow eater if you are the last one still eating at the table. On the other hand, says Gee, “Fast eaters are the first ones finished, usually in five to six minutes.” You want to clock yourself somewhere in between, with the moderate eaters.
Your Eating Speed: Enjoying What You Eat
Another benefit to chewing slowly: Food tastes better.
"We see higher [taste] ratings at the slower rate," says dietitian Kathleen Melanson, RD, PhD, assistant professor of nutrition and food at the University of Rhode Island. Melanson and colleagues tested the relationship between the rate of eating and factors such as how many calories are consumed and participants’ reported levels of satisfaction. Volunteers ate certain types of meals, first slowly and then, later, fast. The study found that, calorie for calorie, you will experience greater palatability at the slower rate, explains Melanson.
She has also demonstrated that people who slowly eat low-calorie foods eat nearly half as many calories as those who quickly eat high-calorie foods. "Conventionally, slow eating has been presented as just taking more time to eat,” Melanson says, but her research shows that what really matters is how many calories you eat per minute.
Your Eating Speed: Tips for Slowing Down
Melanson's method combines slow eating with being aware of the taste of food and when you feel full. She recommends:
- Take small bites.
- Chew each bite 15 to 20 times.
- Savor the food as you chew.
- Swallow before taking the next bite.
- Pause between bites and take a sip of a no-calorie beverage, if you like.
- Between bites, be aware of how your hunger is being sated.
Gee recommends setting your fork or spoon down between bites. “I assign chopsticks to really difficult cases,” she adds.
By trying these methods, you may steal a little time from other activities, but you’ll also lose more weight — and that’s a good trade-off.
