Over the last two weeks, I’ve been introducing the concept of self-regulation when it comes to eating. Self-regulation focuses on being aware of what’s going on internally when it comes to how much we’re eating. It gives us the power to choose to end each meal without the obligation to clean everything from our plate.

As you’ve read, the ability to self regulate food intake is with us from birth, but slowly erodes over time as we’re “taught” how to eat.

As we become adults, we often have no clue about our body’s nourishment needs and we generally overconsume calories. We end up in bodies that feel heavy, bloated, cumbersome, and we find ourselves uncomfortable in our own skin. We’re filled with frustration and regret after each meal, wondering why we’ve “overdone it again”.

To reconnect with the needs of our bodies, we must first begin by understanding what it feels like to be full—not so we can aim for fullness as the goal of each meal, but so we can stop just before we get there. This means eating to “just satisfied”, content with a little room leftover, or being about 80% full.

The next step in developing your mindfulness around how food feels in your body is to SLOW…IT…DOWN.

Mindful eating requires the ability to pay attention to the experiences, feelings, and sensations around eating. You can’t do that if you’re rushing through a meal, preoccupied with the next thing on your plate (nutrition pun intended).

You have to slow things down to set up your digestive system for success and calm your nervous system enough to truly appreciate each meal, and yes, in order to tap into your satiety cues BEFORE fullness kicks in.

You’re probably aware that putting food between your teeth stimulates a symphony of communication between your nose, mouth, gut, brain, and beyond.

But it takes time for the messages to be created, sent, and interpreted in other areas of your body. If you rush through your meals, you’ll miss the opportunity to become aware of how food feels. You’ll simply scrape your plate clean and move onto the next thing, which can sometimes be the cupboard for more food when your brain has failed to realize that what you ate was adequate.

One of the sensations that gets missed without a more slow and mindful approach begins in the nose. Taking the time to smell your food before taking a bite stimulates a response in your digestive system like the “ring-the-bell-for-service” at an unmanned counter at the post-office. It’s the “ding” that reminds your digestive enzymes that service is required and a prompt response is necessary.

And just as importantly, food odors travel up the back of your throat and into your nasal passage as you chew and swallow, aiding in satiation. Chewing slowly and prolonging the time it takes to eat will allow your brain to process these signals.

What’s more, your stomach has receptors that tell you when it’s filling up. Nutrient sensing mechanisms also exist in your gastrointestinal tract that determine what you’ve eaten and whether it meets your body’s needs. Eat too quickly and the stretch and nutrient sensing receptors will not pick up on the subtleties of satiety.

When your brain does catch up to your belly, you might find that you’re suddenly overfull and ICK!, slightly uncomfortable. You might even be gassy, bloated, slightly nauseous, and complain about indigestion.

Those sensations will likely be accompanied by the unwanted meal companions, regret and frustration.

Think eating slowly is beyond your capacity? Maybe you identify as someone who has “always been a fast eater”. Heck, you might even feel like it’s in your DNA because everyone in your family eats quickly.

Sweep those excuses and inner narratives aside.

The way in which we eat is a habit. You can do anything you set your mind to and slowing down while you eat is one of those things.

Why not test it out and see how it changes things for you? If you’re ready to reprogram, here’s the how-to.

There are three levels of mastery, beginning with just slowing it down. To do this, you can:

• Put your cutlery down between bites

• Put your cutlery down AND take a sip of water between bites

• Set a meal timer for at least 15 minutes; try extending it by one minute with each subsequent meal until you’re satisfied with the meal duration

• Match your eating speed to the slowest eater at your table (if that’s not already you)

The second level of mastery is to slow down AND eat without distraction. Use the suggestions listed above but eat without doing anything else. This means no:

• TV

• Computer

• Phone

• Book

• Podcast

• Music

• Socializing or talking

I recognize this last one may be difficult depending on your environment, but if you have the chance to eat alone, give it a try.  Just see what you notice.

The final level of mastery is to slow down, eat without distraction, AND pay intimate attention to all the tastes, smells, sensations, textures, thoughts, and feelings that come along with eating. This can be done by pairing the tips above with:

• Wine tasting your food—act like a sommelier and breathe the smells of your meal deeply into your nose a few times to prepare your digestive system. With each bite, examine the individual flavours and textures as though it’s a sip of the finest wine you’ve ever had.

• Noticing any and all thoughts and feelings that bubble to the surface as you make your way through your meal. Bonus points if you write them down.

Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly prolongs your exposure to the tastes, textures, and smells of your meal, while also giving your body time to register increasing fullness cues. These combine to tell your brain that you’re getting enough volume and nutrients, allowing you to feel satisfied even if you’ve consumed less food.

The exciting thing about developing a more mindful approach to how you eat is that it can remove the need for complicated calorie counts or other external regulators to help you know how much is “enough”.

You take back control.

And, you can apply slow and mindful eating practices no matter where you are or what food is available. No special equipment likes scales, trackers, or barcode scanners required.

Instead, you get to develop a set of lifelong skills that will help you rebuild a healthy relationship with food, your body, and your mind. Are you ready?