The Tale of The Slowest Eater In All The Land

Once upon a time there was a girl, who was the slowest eater in all the land. Every meal she would sit at the dining table slowly enjoying her food as her older brothers would inhale their meals at a breakneck pace. The little girl was always the last to leave the table and often didn’t finish all the food on her plate, though she would usually eat some of everything that was served, except for the yucky brussels sprouts. Then one day the girl moved in with a boy, who she would often share food with. The girl quickly discovered that if she didn’t eat faster all of the food would be gone to the boy’s tummy. So over time the girl ate faster and faster. Until one day she was the fastest eater in all the land and an all-star of the clean plate club.

Kobayashi, record holding speed eater 

So I use to be a very slow eater, and I’ve recently discovered just how fast of an eater I have become. One day at lunch I finished my lunch and looked around the room to find that none of my co-workers were even halfway thought theirs. I like to blame Alex, my boyfriend, I swear sometime it’s like eating with a prison inmate, who’s afraid some hulking criminal is going to come and eat his food. But I can’t totally blame Alex I’m sure that the stressful, fast pace life that we all lead are contributing factors to Olympic Record pace that I now eat at.

During a meal, your brain receives signals from your stomach and intestines that tell it when you're full. But it takes about 20 minutes for those signals to travel from your gut to your noggin. So if you're a speed eater, wolfing down bite after bite in rapid succession like me, you can pack in a lot of extra mouthfuls -- and calories -- during that lag time. By slowing down, you give those natural signals of fullness a chance to register--so you can stop eating -- before you've polished off way more food than your body needs. Eating more slowly also allows you to savor the tastes, smells, and textures of your foods, which contribute to your sense of satisfaction. So here are some tips I found to eating slower I'm going to start implementing a few and see how it goes.

• Put your fork or spoon down after every bite. For many people, eating is a nonstop motion: The fork or spoon is racing from plate to mouth. The trick is to take a spoonful of food, put the spoon down beside your plate, chew, swallow, then pick up the spoon again. At first, this will feel awkward and tedious. But you'll be surprised how much sooner you'll feel full.
• Swallow what is in your mouth before preparing the next bite. Many people are busy loading up their utensils while their mouth teeth are still chomping away.
• If you're eating hand-held food -- such as pizza, sandwiches, bagels, or cookies -- take one bite, then put the rest of your food down while you chew.
• Eat your meal in courses, rather than family style where all the foods are on the table at the same time.
• Time your meals with a watch or kitchen timer until you get used to the slower pace.
• Take a brief break for a minute once or twice during the meal. Talk, sip a beverage, or fold your hands in your lap.
• Play slow background music. Studies have shown that people eat more slowly when they listen to slow, soft music.
• When it's time to eat, do nothing but eat. Devote your full attention to the meal. Make it a habit to turn off the television and take the phone off the hook. If you're distracted by other activities, you may not notice how fast -- or how much -- you are eating.
• Use chopsticks for all cuisines. They automatically slow down your rate of eating and the amount of food you're going to eat. If you're a pro with chopsticks, however, use them in the opposite hand! As an added bonus, chopsticks allow the fatty sauces to fall through the cracks and stay on the plate where they belong.
• Sit down when you eat. This helps you relax and focus on eating. A lot of people simply don't count what they eat when they are standing up.
• Dine -- don't just "inhale" your food. For example, you can savor each delicious bite of tuna salad on a fresh bed of leafy greens, or you can "wolf" your tuna fish right out of the can. Why not make mealtime a pleasurable event?