A study in The British Medical Journal found that people who say they eat quickly right up until they feel full are 3X more likely to be overweight than those with slower dining habits.  Researchers at Cornell University found that people who chewed their food 15X were actually significantly more likely to be thinner than those who chewed their food 12X.  Yes!  Just 3 more chews/bite can make a difference in your weight. So eat mindfully and by the way, don’t skip breakfast.  People who wait for lunch or dinner are FOUR and 1/2 X more likely to be obese than those who eat the a.m. meal.  Next blog will be back to mindfulness.

Perhaps the most pleasurable of all our senses, taste, is the last sense of focus in this series. So many of us eat in a hurry or gobble down our food in front of the TV without making taste the focus of our meal.

People who chew their food weigh less.  Similarly, people who eat more slowly weigh less than those who “woof it down.” This certainly is partly due to the fact that it takes about 20 minutes to feel the full effect of satiety from our food.  However it may be partly because we savor the taste of food more when we eat slowly.  If we chew our food 15 times, instead 10, we may enjoy it about 50% more. You may find that you’ll lose a little weight by truly savoring the flavor of each bite by chewing your food well.  There is also evidence that we absorb more nutrients when our food is well chewed.  Savor the Flavors!  Be mindful of taste and savor the flavors of your meals.

Jennifer L. Abel, Ph.D.

author of “Active Relaxation: How to Increase Productivity and Achieve Balance by Decreasing Stress and Anxiety”