Eat Slowly to Avoid Putting on Weight

Eating slowly can really help reduce hunger, a new study has found.

One of the many reasons that contribute to weight gain is excess energy intake. Research has shown that eating slowly might lower energy intake by keeping people satiated for a long time. However, this kind of research has mainly been conducted on normal weight people. Now, Texas Christian University used data from normal and overweight people to find if slow-eating could really offset weight gain.

Their study is published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In the study, researchers asked a group of normal-weight participants and overweight participants to consume two meals; one slowly and the other quickly. Researchers monitored their calorie intake during both the meals.

However, the team found that although hunger reduced in both the groups, only normal-weight people lowered their calorie intake by eating slowly. They consumed 88 kcal less when they ate a meal slowly while overweight people consumed 58 kcal less.

"Slowing the speed of eating led to a significant reduction in energy intake in the normal-weight group, but not in the overweight or obese group. A lack of statistical significance in the overweight and obese group may be partly due to the fact that they consumed less food during both eating conditions compared to the normal-weight subjects," explained lead author Meena Shah, PhD, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Texas Christian University, according to a news release. "It is possible that the overweight and obese subjects felt more self-conscious, and thus ate less during the study."

The research team also found that eating slowly helped the participants feel full for a long time. Also, all participants- normal-weight and overweight- tended to drink more water when they ate slowly.

"In both groups, ratings of hunger were significantly lower at 60 minutes from when the meal began during the slow compared to the fast eating condition," added Dr. Shah. "These results indicate that greater hunger suppression among both groups could be expected from a meal that is consumed more slowly."

A related study published in Behavior Therapy had earlier shown that increasing time taken to eat a meal is associated with greater weight loss.  Similar study had found that eating slowly might maximize satiation and reduce energy intake within meals.

Many experts believe that eating with full attention helps consume less energy. It is possible for people to eat all kinds of foods without gaining pounds. Mindful eating can help prevent weight gain. However, mindful eating can even help people who are thin and want to put on more weight.

According to Dr. Shah, eating a meal slowly could help reduce hunger levels and may "enhance the enjoyment of a meal."