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Eat Less by Eating Slowly
Eating slowly is supposed to help you cut calories, but until recently, there was no scientific proof to back up this advice. Now, a research team from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston has confirmed that you really do eat less when you eat slowly. The researchers recruited 30 young women to eat pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce topped with Parmesan. On the day of the test, the women ate a 400 calorie breakfast and then went without food for four hours. Then, they were served the pasta, given a large spoon and told to eat as quickly as possible. At a second session, they got a small spoon and were told to take small bites, chew each bite 15 to 20 times and put their spoons down after each bite. When they ate quickly, the women consumed 646 calories in nine minutes; when they ate slowly, they took in 579 calories in 29 minutes – almost a 70-calorie difference. The researchers theorize that by eating three meals a day at a leisurely pace, you could cut your calorie intake by 210. That would add up to almost 22 pounds a year.

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