Eat Slowly
People who eat quickly are twice as likely to be overweight than those who eat more sensibly. And people who eat quickly and eat too much are three times as likely to be overweight than those who eat more sensibly (1). Here's how to eat in a more controlled manner:
- Allocate 20 minutes for main meals and 10 minutes for snacks
- Put a jug of water on the table and sip water throughout your meal
- Put your cutlery down between mouthfuls
- Cut your food into small bite sized pieces and eat one piece at a time
- Increase the number of times you chew your food before swallowing
- Pause in the middle of meals or between courses
- Talk during mealtimes: people who do so are often still eating after their companions have finished.
By eating slowly, you give your taste buds time to register the flavours in your food. Plus you experience a greater sense of control as you have more time to decide how much food you will eat.
Portion Your Food
Most people use visual cues to tell them when to stop eating, so when a big portion is placed in front of them they eat the whole lot (2). Some tips for limiting your portion sizes are:
- Serve yourself in medium sized portions from the stove (if your serve sizes are too small you will return for second helpings) and avoid placing dishes on the table.
- Eat your food from a plate to increase your awareness of how much you are eating: don't eat out of bags or containers.
- Remove any leftovers as soon as possible after eating. Put them in the fridge for the next day, throw them away or if you are entertaining, give them to guests to take home. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you are wasting food by throwing it away: unlike excess food in the bin, excess food in your stomach can lead to weight gain and poor health!
- If your plates are large, don't feel the need to fill them with food.
- Leave a small portion of food on your plate at the end of every meal. Don't feel that you have to 'clean your plate': many people are conditioned to do this from an early age but it's not healthy.
- If you are eating out, don't feel that you need to eat the entire dish: take the leftovers home.
Take Control of Emotional Eating
Emotions can become powerful cues to eat inappropriately. People use food to reduce frustration, control boredom, or to comfort themselves when they are feeling lonely, anxious, angry or depressed. If you eat as a means of coping with emotions, you need to find non food-related ways to deal with your emotions such as going for a walk, taking a bath or calling a friend.
It's also useful to learn to attune to your body and distinguish between physical hunger (where your stomach is rumbling and you physically need to eat) and psychological hunger (where cues such as emotions, settings, social occasions and sights and smells of food encourage you to eat). Physical hunger is a useful and appropriate cue to eat - psychological hunger is not.
Practice Mindful Eating
Take the time to sit down and savour the flavours of your food rather than eating on the run:
- Limit your eating to a specific room such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in other rooms such as the bedroom or living room can trigger a desire to eat when you are in these rooms: even when you aren't hungry.
- Break the link between eating and activities such as talking on the phone or watching a movie.
- Clear you mind of distractions before you eat so you can register an enjoyment of your food and acknowledge the calories.
- Sit down and enjoy your meal so your brain has time to register that your stomach is full.
Breaking ingrained habits can be tough, but if you give yourself time to practice and persevere when you make mistakes, you will regain control of your eating habits.
References:
1. Maruyama K, et al. 2008, 'The joint impact of self reported behaviours of eating quickly and eating until full on overweight: cross sectional survey' British Medical Journal 337:a2002.
2. Dr Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, Research Fellow at the University of NSW quoted by ABC News in Science
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