Eating Slowly – Health Benefits at Any Size

Eating Slowly – Health Benefits at Any Size

A recent study by the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago looked at the speed of eating in relation to BMI in more than 1500 New Zealand women aged between 40 and 50.

EDEN (The Eating Difficulties Education Network) believes eating slowly, and therefore mindfully, has important health implications across the population.

“Eating slowly and without distraction is something we can all benefit from, at any size or shape” says Deb Schwarz, EDEN Manager.

“Eating slowly allows us to listen to our body’s cues about foods, so we know when we are still hungry and when we are satisfied. It can also help us identify which types of foods our bodies' need more or less of at a particular time.”

EDEN, established in 1990, has been recommending mindful eating for people of all shapes and sizes for many years. They have found it to be a useful health practice for people of all sizes and ages. This is one of the health promotion tools which EDEN uses in schools, instilling positive health practices from a young age. Eating mindfully is not about dieting but about helping people to have a happy and enjoyable approach to eating.

EDEN supports health at every size. “The most important health message is that all of us need to live actively, eat a range of nutrition, and eat mindfully listening to hunger and fullness cues, regardless of size” says Schwarz.

ENDS