To see more clearly, researchers from Fujita Health University in Japan conducted the investigation. For twelve weeks, they followed 41 adults, all members of university staff, which they submitted to three types of meals. On the menu? A share of pizza warmed in the microwave, eaten by hand, and two bentos composed of rice, broccoli and chopped steak, tasted with baguettes-once starting with the vegetables, the other by keeping them for the end. Their objective was simple: knowing if the speed at which you eat depends more on the nature of the meal … or on the order in which it is savoring it.
Their discoveries, published in the journal Nutrients, are eloquent. Meals in the form of bento led to a significantly longer chewing time than pizza, it doesn’t matter that vegetables were consumed first or last. On average, participants put 182 to 216 seconds more to finish their bento. In other words, it is not the order of ingestion of food that slows down the rate, but the composition of the menu.
But that’s not all. Bentos also prompted participants to chew more often and faster – without changing the number of bites. For what ? Because a compartmentalized dish, served with utensils and composed of various foods naturally pushes to slow down. Clearly, a meal that requires a minimum of effort is a meal which is appreciated more slowly.
Contrary to what one might think, the body mass index does not influence the time spent at the table. On the other hand, age and the fact of being a man seem to be associated with faster meals.
Much more than our personal discipline, it is therefore the framework of the meal – its composition, its presentation, the way of consuming it – which influences our way of eating. It is no longer a question of force yourself to slow down but to give yourself the means to do it naturally.
In short, eating slower is not (only) a case of self-control: it is a design choice. And this choice begins in the kitchen. No more dishes quickly made and swallowed on the go. Favoring structured, varied meals to be tasted with cutlery, could well be one of the simplest and most effective weapons in the fight against excess food.
What if, to eat better, it was just enough to eat otherwise? Taking the time, savoring each bite, sharing a moment of exchange … Revaluating the time of meal, it might be found the way to a more conscious, more serene and healthier diet.