Have you ever grabbed some toast on your way out the door in the morning? Does your lunch consist of a sandwich and potato chips gobbled at your desk in the five minutes between meetings? And an hour after you eat, do you ever experience that food again—in the form of heartburn?
Doctors and heartburn patients have long suspected that speedy eating could cause heartburn, and a recent study supports that conclusion. On two consecutive days, 20 healthy volunteers each ate a high-fat meal consisting of a chicken burger, fries and a coke. On one day, they devoured the meal in five minutes; on the other, they got 30 minutes to eat.
Researchers monitored the volunteers for two hours after the meals to measure the number and acidity of reflux episodes. The speedy eaters had an average of 14 reflux episodes during the two hour period, while the leisurely eaters had only 10. Acidity was the same for both groups.
Why does this happen? Eating too fast may stress the stomach. When you eat too fast, you probably swallow food in larger bites that are harder to digest. That means the food stays in your stomach longer, making reflux more likely. Immediately resuming activity after eating also slows digestion.
This study may be good news for the stressed out. Give yourself some time to sit down, chew your food, and relax for a few minutes after your meal. It only takes a half hour to reduce the likelihood of heartburn.
Cutting back on those meals-on-the-run can also help you lose weight. Have you ever been famished, eaten a meal in just a few minutes, and then realized you ate way too much? That’s because it takes time for your stomach to signal to your brain that you’re full. If you eat slowly, you may find yourself eating less.
And when you only have a minute to eat, you’re more likely to grab a high calorie snack like a candy bar, and supplement it with chips or a doughnut later in the day. It’s healthier to sit down for a filling meal like a sandwich, pasta with vegetables, or soup and salad.
Try drafting some simple, easy rules for eating and posting them in your workspace. Research shows that writing down your goals makes it more likely that you’ll achieve them. If you post a note on your computer, you’ll be constantly reminded of the lifestyle changes you want to make. Try "I won’t eat standing up," "I will chew each bite 15 times," "I’ll make my own lunch three times a week," or "I won’t eat at my desk." You could also ask someone else to be your lunch buddy, and you can encourage each other to sit down to eat.
