It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat

Like me, you’ve probably never woken up feeling your best after a calorie-dense Mexican dinner that left no open real estate in your stomach. I’ve often told clients that how well our bodies function and how we feel overall is governed by the quality and quantity of food we consume.

Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with hundreds of people wanting to reduce their body fat. Not surprisingly, most assumed they would have to change everything about their diet, including never being able to enjoy a dessert or glass of wine. After learning about their nutritional habits, the first course of action was more often than not to modify how they ate, not what they ate.

What do I mean by this? Over the decades, the pace of our lives, with their never-ending responsibilities and to-do lists, has become progressively faster and more hectic, and so too has the speed at which we eat our meals. Unfortunately, when we regularly eat as if we’re trying to set a world speed record, there are consequences to pay.

Eating quickly prevents the stomach and intestines from telling the brain they’ve had enough, which often leads to overeating. Done consistently, we know how this affects body fat and waistlines. When those go up, risks to our health climb too.

Food not chewed thoroughly overworks the digestive system and reduces nutrient absorption. Swallowing large bites can also worsen acid reflux and, something many don’t consider, increase the risk of choking.

The nervous system can interpret hurried eating as a stress and threat response. This initiates a fight-or-flight state that increases blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol production, further inhibiting healthy digestion.

Then there’s the fact that eating is simply less enjoyable when finishing our meals in mere moments. Who knows how satisfying the food was when we barely tasted it?

Learning to eat more slowly can be considered “simple, but not necessarily easy.” After all, if eating rapidly has been the norm for years, it’s going to take mindful practice to change that.

Of the strategies I’ve recommended over the years, there’s one that stands above the rest. It’s what I call the Mealtime Motto: “If there’s food in my mouth, then there’s no food on my fork.”

The Mealtime Motto brings heightened awareness and checks several boxes. It keeps food from being shoveled into the mouth and stomach; it slows chewing, and brings more attention to the meal’s texture and flavors.

While genuine time constraints and life stuff make it impossible to do this at every meal, perhaps you can try it at dinner a couple of nights, and if it’s a good fit, build from there.

Other strategies include:

Putting the fork down between each bite.

Aiming for a 20-minute meal duration.

Ensuring you’ve finished the previous bite before taking another.

Making meals smartphone and distraction-free (this is a tough one for many to swallow, pun intended). If this feels too extreme, the Mealtime Motto still delivers results even with the TV on.

I’m curious to learn your eating style. Is it similar to taking a leisurely stroll, or could you be nicknamed “greased lightning?” I’d love to hear your thoughts and whether the Mealtime Motto is something you’d benefit from.