One minute and forty-five seconds.
That is the Guinness World Record for the fastest a person can eat a 12 inch pizza. Josh Anderson from Wellington, New Zealand set this record on March 22, 2008.
While that is both fascinating and nauseating, the better word to describe it is unhealthy.
When it comes to the pace of eating food, patience is a virtue. Eating slowly has been shown to reduce caloric intake, which may help decrease the growing rate of obesity. A study from the British Medical Journal found a significant correlation between eating speed and obesity.
Fast eaters are much more likely to be overweight or obese. Eating quickly does not allow the body to recognize when it is full. Those eaters who continue to eat until they are full have a significant risk of being overweight.
A fast eating pace not only causes an increase in body weight, but it also causes discomfort to the eater.
A study from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association measured the pleasure of eating compared to the pace of eating. One group was instructed to put down their forks in between bites, chew their food completely and take water breaks.
The second group was told to eat as fast as they could. The participants who consumed their meal slowly reported enjoying their meal more than the participants who ate quickly. While the group who ate slower consumed fewer calories, they also felt full sooner.
Eating well-balanced meals is the perfect diet, but consuming these meals at a slow, steady pace could be the best diet advice for losing weight.
There are several techniques you can use to help you eat slower. First, chew every bit of your food before swallowing.
Also, to give your body time to decide if you are still hungry, do not put more food on your fork or spoon until you have swallowed the food from your last bite. This will not only take time, but it will also help your stomach digest the food easier.
Another way is to choose smaller utensils and dishes. Bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to the size of your plates and bowls.
Choosing a small plate and fork will help control how much food you eat. Using a small fork will also control how fast you eat because you will, or should, take more “chew breaks.”
Lastly, take time to listen to your body. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to receive the message that your stomach is full. The slower you eat, the sooner you will recognize that you should stop eating before eating too much.
Eating fast does not give the stomach a chance to tell the brain we are getting full. If we take time to chew and enjoy our food, our body will have a chance to tell us we do not need anymore food.
Don’t get me wrong, it is understandable to feel extremely hungry and want to shovel food into your mouth if a plate of food is in front of you. However, after reading the benefits of eating slowly, try rethinking that decision and take time to chew and enjoy your food.
One could say that setting a Guinness World Record is an accomplishment, but it is unlikely that Josh Anderson enjoyed eating pizza that fast. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
