Can Slow Eating Help You Lose Weight?

strawberry salad

31 Jul Can Slow Eating Help You Lose Weight?

Posted at 12:29h in Food by

What if you could adopt an easy habit that helped you eat 16% less at every meal and still feel satisfied? And what if that same habit also helped to reduce your stress levels and improve your digestion? That’s exactly what can happen when you start ‘slow eating’. It takes some effort at first, but the rewards are worth it: easier weight management, improved gut health, and a calmer, more connected relationship with food. Here’s how slowing down your eating can make such a difference and how to put it into practice.

We are a team of qualified, experienced nutritionists who specialise in weight loss. If you’re looking to overcome your weight challenges, achieve your desired weight and maintain it long term, we can help. Book your complimentary call with our team today to find out more.

WHAT IS SLOW EATING?

It’s as simple as it sounds! Also referred to as mindful eating, slow eating means slowing down the rate at which you consume your meals, eating more mindfully and being intentional with how you take in food. It’s the opposite of grabbing a sandwich and wolfing it down as you run between meetings: it is taking your time to take small bites, chew properly and focus on what you’re eating. 

WHY SLOW EATING WORKS

A University of Liverpool review of 22 studies found that people who ate more slowly consumed fewer calories, but didn’t feel hungrier afterwards. In one study, just reducing bites per minute led to 16% fewer calories eaten. And the participants still felt satisfied. Slowing down gives your body time to register fullness. When you eat quickly, it’s easy to continue past that point, only to realise you’re uncomfortably full 10 minutes later. But there’s more to it than just calorie intake.

FAST EATING & STRESS

Eating quickly – on the go, at your desk, or in a rush – sends a signal to the body that you’re under pressure. This can switch on your sympathetic nervous system, aka ‘fight or flight’ mode, which isn’t the ideal state for digesting a meal. Stress puts digestion on the back burner and can lead to bloating, poor nutrient absorption, and cravings later in the day.

SLOW EATING IS BETTER FOR DIGESTION

When you eat slowly, chew food thoroughly, and focus on the experience of your food, your body switches gears into ‘rest and digest’ mode.

This means:

  • Improved digestion and nutrient uptake
  • More efficient appetite regulation (your gut hormones have time to signal satiety)
  • A calmer, more present state of mind

One study even found that chewing thoroughly increased blood flow to the digestive tract and boosted the energy burned through digestion.

HOW TO GET BETTER AT SLOW EATING

It might sound simple, but slow eating is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with practice.

Here are a few practical tips to help you get started:

  1. Pause between bites. Try putting your fork down and taking a couple of breaths before going in for the next mouthful.
  2. Stretch out your meal. Time yourself occasionally – not to compete, but just to gradually increase the length of your meals over time.
  3. Chew more than you think you need to. Right before you feel ready to swallow, pause and chew a few more times. You want your mouthful to be a soft pulp with no lumps.
  4. Pay attention to detail. Notice flavours, textures, aromas. The more you pay attention, the more satisfying the meal becomes.
  5. Don’t look at screens. Many of us are guilty of eating while we scroll, work or watch TV, but this takes our focus away from our food. Most meals last a matter of minutes. Take the opportunity to step away from the screen if you can.

And here’s one final consideration: slow eating works best when you eat real foods and avoid ultra processed ones. Whole, minimally processed meals naturally encourage chewing, slow bites, and greater satisfaction.

WORK WITH US 

As you can see, the facts show that slow eating can help you eat less and potentially lose weight, but it can also help you to enjoy your food more, too. We work with a range of clients to overcome their individual challenges and achieve their goals. 

 If you’re ready to overcome your weight challenges, achieve your goal weight and maintain it long term, we can help. You can use this link to book in for a complimentary call. This is an opportunity to talk through your challenges with a member of our team and decide together whether one of our Intelligent Weight Loss programmes is right for you. Or contact us to request a copy of our brochure and we will get back to you soon.

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LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

JULIE GOUGH


Julie Gough is a BANT registered nutritionist and certified health coach specialising in weight loss and hormonal health. She works with clients to address issues such as PMS, thyroid disorders, weight gain, and menopause symptoms. 


Drawing from her own health journey, Julie provides personalised nutrition advice combined with mindset coaching. She takes a functional medicine ‘root cause’ approach to helping clients overcome their health and weight challenges. 


Julie is passionate about empowering women to take control of their health and regain their energy and wellbeing long term.


To enquire about working with Julie, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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