By Marygrace Taylor, Prevention
It's no secret that the eating habits of those (lucky) effortlessly
slim folks are different than the way the rest of us chow down. For
instance, they listen to their bodies' hunger and fullness signals instead of counting calories, and don't get guilty over the occasional cookie.
[post_ads]They also tend to eat slower, too. Findings show
that noshing at a snail-like pace can help you take in fewer calories,
and still leave you fuller and more satisfied long after your meal is
over. Add it all up, and it's no wonder that slower eating speeds are
linked to a lower body mass index, while speed eating is tied to higher BMIs, according to one Journal of the American Dietetic Association study.
Sounds great, but what if you're more hare than turtle at the table?
Don't worry. Just like exercising daily or having fresh fruit be your
default snack, you can learn how to put on the brakes at mealtime—and
reap the weight loss benefits. Here are 6 nutritionist-backed tactics
that make slowing down easy.
Rather than guzzling all your water in a few big gulps, stop to take a sip
every couple of bites, recommends Amy Gorin, MS, RD, founder of Amy
Gorin Nutrition in Jersey City, NJ. All those drinking breaks will force
you to swallow your food, put down your fork, and take a pause before
reaching for another bite.
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Unless you want to look like a klutz, it'll
force you to move slower—and be more mindful of how much you're eating,
says Rebecca Lewis, in-house dietitian at HelloFresh. And that can help
you eat up to 30% less, according to one University of Southern
California study.
The color red signals STOP! to your
brain, and findings show that people who eat off of red plates really do
end up scarfing down less, says Lewis. Swapping your standard dinner
plate for a salad-sized one helps, too. "When you start out with a smaller plate, you're more likely to take your time to make the food last longer," Lewis says.
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