Eat Meals Slowly: It’s Worth the Time!

Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, member of the Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team, recommends slow eating for weight loss, especially following bariatric surgery.

Today’s fast-paced world leaves little time for enjoying a leisurely meal. The lack of time for eating meals can be problematic, especially for people recovering from bariatric surgery. Eating slowly is an essential component of successful bariatric surgery. Eating too quickly or not chewing food thoroughly can result in gastric pain, pressure and vomiting.

Health care professionals recommend learning to eat slowly in the months leading up to bariatric surgery. This helps make slow eating a habit. In addition, slow eating often results in a sense of fullness from a smaller portion of food, which contributes to weight loss. It takes roughly 20 minutes for the brain and stomach to register fullness, so taking time to eat a meal can help you realize you are satisfied before you overeat.

Tips to help you slow down:

- Eat smaller but more frequent meals to keep you from feeling too hungry at any point in the day. Focus on protein- and fiber-rich foods to keep you satisfied.

- Sit down when you eat and reduce distractions. Turn off the television or computer and focus on enjoying your food. Take time to appreciate the look, smell, taste and texture of the food.

- Cut food into smaller pieces and use a smaller utensil, such as a baby spoon.

- Put your utensil down and chew thoroughly between bites.

- Look at the clock when you begin and finish eating or use an egg timer. Gradually increase your meal times.

Get more tips on how to slow down your food consumption pace at the next support group meeting. Click here for a list of upcoming support group meetings.

- Cara Stewart, RD, LDN