A new study suggests that the slower you eat, the less you eat. And no. This isn’t because the waiter gets bored and takes your plate away
The study looked at a group of both normal-weight and over-weight people, who were given a meal to eat in a relaxed, slow-speed environment, and then another meal under time-constrains. The slower meal consisted of an average of twenty-two minutes with smaller bites and deliberate chewing, whereas the fast meal involved larger bites and quick chewing, and a mealtime of about nine minutes.
Both groups consumed less by eating slowly and all felt less hungry after having the slow meal compared to the fast. Meena Shah, a professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth who worked on the study said this could be because those who eat more slowly have a better sense of how full they’re becoming. They also had increased water intake and stomach swelling.
However, the ‘normal-weight’ participants reduced their calorie intake significantly when eating more slowly, and the others didn’t.
Lona Sandon of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas said that the study did not control a number of factors that could have influenced it. Shah did admit that feelings of self-consciousness and people eating differently when they are being observed might also have an affect on eating patterns.
However, Sandon did say that there is other research that supports their theory. She said, ‘It may be a better strategy for preventing weight gain, as opposed to treating overweight and obesity.’
The study was published on the 2nd January in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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