The 2013 pizza-eating champion, Molly Schuyler, downed 12.9 cheesy slices in 10 minutes. But that's definitely not what we're suggesting when we encourage you to learn how to feel full faster!
Feeling satiated after eating involves your guts, brain and attitude. And when you eat too fast, too much or too-processed foods (anything with the Five Food Felons - trans and saturated fats, added sugars and sugar syrups, and any grain that isn't 100 percent whole), your body can't tell when you've had enough. You need to give your appetite-regulating systems (and emotions) a chance to react to what you eat.
-Savor the flavor. Put your fork down between bites; chew your food slowly. That releases more nutrition from the food and lets leptin, your appetite-controlling hormone, respond so you eat less. Almost a century ago, "the Great Masticator" Horace Fletcher advocated 100 chews per bite. We say, depending on the food, chew around 10-20 times.
-Just say "NUTS." Twenty minutes before a meal eat six walnuts or 12 almonds. They contain 70 calories of fat, and that'll slow your stomach emptying, so you'll feel full sooner.
-Practice mindful eating. Notice the texture and flavor of each bite and how your body responds to food; place yourself in a calm (no TV) environment. That helps control cravings and impulse eating. It also improves the digestive process that goes on in your mouth!
Experiment with this for one week; we're sure you'll eat less, feel fuller faster and enjoy mealtime a lot more!