What Happens When We Eat Too Fast…

Mar 11

I’ve been noticing that I have this bad habit of eating way too fast. I always blame it on having a super busy schedule and not enough time during lunch breaks. But when I really think about it, this habit is causing more trouble than I realized.

Why Eating Fast Isn’t Doing Us Any Favors

First off, when we scarf down our food, our brain doesn’t get the memo that we’re full until it’s too late. It actually takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain, “Hey, I’m good now!” So, if we’re rushing through our meals in five or ten minutes, we might still feel hungry and end up eating more than we really need.

And let’s not forget what it does to our digestion.

Our stomach has to work extra hard to break down those big chunks of food we barely chewed, which can lead to bloating, indigestion, and just feeling gross afterward. It’s like our gut is waving a little white flag, begging us to slow down.

Then there’s the whole gut health situation. If we’re not chewing our food properly, bigger bits of it end up in our intestines, which can mess with the balance of bacteria in our gut. This imbalance can lead to all sorts of problems like inflammation or IBS. Our gut health is super important for feeling good overall, so taking our time to eat can make a big difference.

Eating fast also messes with our hunger cues. When we rush, the hormone ghrelin (which makes us feel hungry) doesn’t get shut off properly. So, we might find ourselves raiding the snack cabinet way sooner than we should be, just because we didn’t give our body enough time to realize it’s actually satisfied.

And you know what else? We totally miss out on the whole experience of eating. When we’re rushing, we’re not really tasting or enjoying our food. We end up eating on autopilot, and that disconnect can lead to mindless snacking or just not feeling satisfied, no matter how much we eat.

Stress doesn’t help either

When we’re stressed, we tend to eat even faster, which just makes everything worse. It’s like we’re stuck in this cycle where stress makes us eat fast, and eating fast makes us feel even more stressed because our body isn’t processing the food properly.

How to Slow Down and Enjoy Your Food

Now that we know why eating fast is no good, let’s talk about how we can slow down and actually enjoy our meals:

Put Down Your Utensils Between Bites: This one’s easy—just put your fork or spoon down after every bite and take a moment to chew. It’ll naturally slow you down.
Chew Your Food More: Try chewing each bite 20-30 times. It might sound like a lot, but it really helps with digestion and pacing yourself.
Sip Water Between Bites: Taking sips of water can help you slow down and stay hydrated at the same time.
Set a Timer: If you know you’re a fast eater, set a timer for 20-30 minutes and challenge yourself to make your meal last that long.
Focus on Your Food: Turn off the TV, put down your phone, and really pay attention to what you’re eating. You’ll enjoy it more and probably eat less too.
Take a Few Deep Breaths: Before you start eating, take a couple of deep breaths to help you relax and get into a slower pace.
Listen to Your Body: Tune in to how you’re feeling as you eat. Are you still hungry, or are you starting to feel full? It’s a good way to avoid overeating.

If you’re looking to dive deeper into how eating slower and more mindfully can help with weight loss and overall wellness, be sure to check out my blog post on mindful eating. It’s packed with tips and insights that can help you create healthier eating habits and feel great in the process!