Eating slower may be the secret to your weight loss

Eating slower can help you enjoy your meals more while eating less--two things that are key for sucessful weight loss. But if you're used to scarfing down food at a breakneck pace, taking it slow can be tough.
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Here are 7 great tips for eating slower and why they work:
​A new Spin on Mindful eating

1) Eat without distractions: The biggest culprit causing mindless eating is the TV. As a rule of thumb, only eat in conditions that you have a plate, table, and chair. Save books, loud music, games, or other distracting activities for times when you aren’t eating. Eating while distracted makes it difficult for you to realize when you have had enough to eat and many people eat upwards of 25% more when distracted. 

2) Eat with your non-dominant hand.  Eating with your non-dominant hand can be a fun way to slow down. This can be fun, and super healthy, activity for the whole family! 

3) Engage in conversation. Conversation is a natural way to slow down your eating. No one wants to talk with someone who has their mouth completely full. Talking forces you to take smaller bites so that you can add to the conversation and gives you time to evaluate your hunger.

4) Put your fork down before every bite. The added seconds it takes to put your fork completely down between each bite allows you to reflect on your fullness and satiety. 

5) Eat with chopsticks: Anything you can do to make eating more challenging or to limit the amount of food you can put into your mouth at one time will show down your eating. So buff up your chopstick skills while slowing down your eating at the same time. 

6) Chew: Focus on chewing every bite of food at least 15 times. Chewing is the MOST important step for healthy digestion. Chew your food until it’s “applesauce-texture” before swallowing. Aim for 15-20 chews per bite. One study showed that those who chewed more, about 15 times per bite, were more likely to have a lower weight. But the benefits don’t stop at just 15, another study showered that chewing 40 times per bite reduced food intake by 12% compared to those chewing 15 times per bite. But for most of us, chewing 15 times per bite can be challenging enough. Regardless if you chew 15 times or 40 times, eating more slowly, by increasing the number of times you chew, reduces levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which increases feelings of satiety while reducing your appetite. 

7) Check in with yourself after every bite: Mentally ask yourself “Am I really hungry?” after each bite and rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being starving and 10 being uncomfortably full. Stop eating at the bite you rate a 7 or 8.

Your turn! What are your tips for eating slower? Share them below. 
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