I have a clear memory of the very first time I tasted a McDonald’s chicken McNugget when I was around five years old. Apparently, I was a very picky eater as a kid. My mom broke the NcNugget in half, ate one half and gave me the other. I remember the explosion of flavor as I chewed it. I had never tasted anything like that before, and I felt a rush just by eating it. I gulped it down and immediately wanted more. She told me that was the last one. 

Growing up, I remember eating always seemed to be a rushed affair. At home, there were many admonitions such as, “Hurry up and eat! Stop messing around!” and “Eat up while it’s hot!” Mealtime was something to get out of the way quickly for some reason. In elementary school, lunchtime was paired with recess. So, the quicker you ate, the quicker you got to play. In high school, we also had limited time to eat and often used lunchtime to catch up on other activities. By the time I got to college, the fast-eating habit was ingrained even though I had much more time to eat (and so many bad food options).

The fast-eating paradigm continued once I entered the workforce. The typical 30-minute lunchtimes at most jobs do not help with mindful eating. Unless you bring a lunch, you are wasting a large chunk of that time procuring your meal. Years ago I had a personal trainer named Roland from Croatia who encouraged me to get more physical activity. 

Roland: “Can you walk some at work during breaks? 

BW: “Sure. At lunchtime, I walk down the street to Burger King.”

Roland: “No more Burger King!” 

BW: “Okay, there’s a Subway across the street.”

Roland: “Subway, okay but it depends. I go into Subway for a sandwich. They ask me if I want a Value Meal. I ask what is this. They said chips and soda. I said, ‘Where is the extra value in that??’”

The other problem with work is back-to-back-to-back meetings that force you to have “working lunches.” I no longer let people hijack my lunchtime with non-MEATY meetings. 

Why you need to eat slowly

I don’t like unannounced guests. I prefer to know when someone is coming over so I can prepare. Your body is the same. Your digestive system likes to know in advance that something is coming down the pipe. Every stage of digestion tells the next stage to expect food and nutrients to arrive.

Digestion starts in the brain. For example, if food is nearby, the brain signals the mouth to start salivating, and the stomach starts to secrete digestive enzymes. The body is preparing for food intake. And this may happen even if you are not actually hungry!

The nose is not technically part of digestion, but the act of smelling is important. Smelling food before we eat it tells the body food is coming. It also helps us decide whether to eat something at all (spoiled milk). There is also something called retronasal olfaction, which is sensing odors from food that’s traveled through the back of our throat and to our nasal passages as we chew and swallow. Keeping food in our mouth longer, letting us smell and taste it better, tells the brain we are getting enough nutrients. This is why slow, mindful eating leaves us feeling more satisfied with less food. Isn’t it interesting that when you have a cold and have trouble smelling things, it affects your taste and overall pleasure with a meal?

Our saliva moistens food and has antimicrobial chemicals that help prevent pathogens from entering our system. Saliva also contains enzymes such as amylase to digest starch and lipase to digest fats (although fat takes a long time to digest.) This is why you want to chew food thoroughly before swallowing to let the process begin in your mouth.

Digestion happens best when we are calm and restful.

Practice eating slowly

It’s not easy to change habits that you have had all your life. Start simple. There is no need to overhaul everything at once. I am using a phased approach to improve my own style of eating.

Phase 1: “Eat slowly.” This means put down utensils after each bite. Pause and fully chew and swallow food before taking the next bite. Start with one meal a day to see how it feels. 

Phase 2: “Eat slowly without distractions.” While eating slowly, eliminate distractions. Put your phone away. Turn the TV off. Sit at a table. This is a tough one. It will feel like you are wasting time because you are so used to multitasking during meals. Again, start with one meal and see how it feels.

Phase 3: “Eat very slowly, without distractions and with full presence and attention, noticing the taste, texture, and experience of every bite.” When you reach Phase 3, you are truly eating mindfully. Mealtime has become an important event in and of itself.

Benefits of eating slowly

You become better at recognizing physiological hunger and fullness cues. How many times have you eaten something just because it was there? What about eating because you think you are hungry when you are just dehydrated and need to drink more? And how many times have you eaten well past being full just to “finish your plate” or squeeze in dessert?

You eat less but feel more satisfied. Quantity is not the only measure of feeling satisfied. Your digestive system needs time to prepare and break down food into the nutrients needed for proper health.

You experience food more fully. Isn’t it interesting how the first few bites of something always taste the best? How many times have you gulped something down without even tasting it?

You digest food better. Adding food gradually to the digestive system allows for the body to process it better. Some people may improve acid reflux or other digestive problems simply by eating more mindfully.

By the way, I’m no expert. I’m just now learning this as part of my nutrition course. I’ll admit it–I’m still on Phase 1. I have a lot of bad habits to undo as part of Project Food as Fuel. Mindful eating is now a priority for me.