For decades dieters have been told to eat slowly to help them lose weight and it seemed to work. Until now, however, there has been no scientific evidence to explain why eating slowly seemed to help individuals eat less and reduce fat. In a recent study, 30 women were given a large plate of pasta and told to eat as much as they wanted. In the first trial, they were told to eat quickly and consumed over 640 calories in only nine minutes. In a second trial, they were instructed to pause between bites and chew each mouthful as long as possible. Eating slowly, they consumed about 575 calories in 29 minutes. There is clearly a difference between 640 calories in nine minutes and 575 calories in 29 minutes. The key is in the satiety centers in the brain which seem to need a threshold time to develop. Not only did the women take in fewer calories when they ate more slowly but they had a greater sense of fullness at the completion of the meal and one hour afterward. The women also rated the meal as being more enjoyable when eaten slowly. One compounding factor was the volunteers were provided water to drink. They may have consumed a larger amount of water contributing to greater degrees of fullness during the slow eating trial. We've been given the advice to eat and chew our food slowly for decades. Finally there is some research supporting why it might work. Slow down, chew slowly and enjoy your meal. You might even get the added bonus of some additional weight loss too.
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