You Eat 10% More and 20% Faster When You Do This.
People eat 10% more and 20% faster when they’re eating distracted.
We’ve all done it…
Scrolled through our phones, caught up on a show, or answered emails while eating.
It feels like multitasking, how can we squeeze in more productivity while having a meal? YAY toxic-work culture and our self-worth coming from how much we can get done in a day.
But if you’re someone who’s trying to lose weight or adopt heather eating habits in general, the reality of eating while distracted is… grim.
The reality is, you MIGHT get more done if you multi-task while eating, but you’ll also:
Eat more food (up to 10% more)
Eat faster (up to 20% faster)
Inhibit your digestion
Elevate your cortisol levels
Never enjoy your meals
Increase your chances of snacking later
When you eat distracted, your brain isn’t fully processing the food you’re consuming.
Think of it like trying to have a conversation with someone while watching a movie—you're not fully engaged or enjoying either.
Your brain is wired to recognize signals from your stomach when you're full, but when you’re tuned into something else, that signal can easily get lost. The result? You eat more than you need (and faster) before realizing it AND you didn’t even enjoy it, so changes are you’ll also crave the enjoyment through something else later.
In addition, eating 20% faster means you're not giving your body the time it needs to catch up. It (on average) takes about 20 minutes for the brain to recognize fullness after a meal starts. When you rush through eating, you're likely to overeat because your brain simply hasn’t caught on yet.
So, whilst it “seems” like a good idea, reality is, you’re better off taking a break (that I’m sure you need) to enjoy your meal to yourself.
Here’s the thing…
Eating is not “just” about fuel. It’s about nourishing your body, enjoying the process, and being able to recognize how different foods make you feel.
When you’re distracted, you miss out on these important cues and signals. Over time, this can lead to weight gain, digestive issues, and even feelings of guilt or confusion around food. You might end up asking yourself, “Why did I eat that much?” or “I wasn’t even hungry.”
There’s also a mental health aspect.
When eating becomes mindless, it disconnects us from one of the most basic forms of self-care: feeding our bodies with intention and attention.
Distracted eating can also interfere with our body’s natural "rest and digest" state by keeping us in “fight or flight” mode. This inability shit from one to the other leads to elevated cortisol levels, which diverts blood flow away from the digestive tract and slow down digestion and makes it difficult for your body to break down and absorb nutrients properly which can cause issues like bloating, nutrient malabsorption, gut inflammation, etc.
The good news is that with some small changes, you can start eating more mindfully and develop a healthier relationship with food.
Here are some of the ways my clients practice mindful eating:
1. Create a designated eating space
Use your meal time as your dedicated time of day to step away from whatever it is you are doing and relax. Ideally, you can fully change settings (i.e. desk to communal kitchen). Sit down, if you’re up for a challenge—leave your phone, and enjoy your meal as a well-deserved break (bonus points if you leave yourself 15min at the end to go for a short walk outside).
2. Slow down
If you know you tend to eat quickly, try setting down your fork or spoon or sandwich between bites. You can also time yourself. Eat as you normally would and start your stopwatch - record how fast you ate your meal. Let’s say it’s 8 min. The next time you eat, aim for 10 min, and so on. Let’s say you absolutely CANNOT eat a meal without watching TV (you’re just not willing to give that up yet), see then if you can pace out your meal so that it ends when the show ends (without going for seconds).
3. Check in with your hunger
Before you start eating, ask yourself, “Am I really hungry, or am I eating out of habit, boredom, or stress?” Recognizing your true hunger signals can help you eat more in tune with your body’s needs. This is something that takes time and experimentation. For some clients it takes a few weeks, for some it takes a few months.
4. Practice presence
Because you made it this far, I’m going to share something really special with you! It’s a guided mindful eating practice I host in my course and we also do a super cool rendition of it in my in-person workshops. You can access it here: Click Here
Slow down, tune in, and turn mealtimes into moments of mindful self-care.
When you start eating with awareness, you’ll not only enjoy your food more, but you’ll also notice how it fuels and supports you.
Next time you sit down for a meal, leave the distractions behind and notice how much more satisfying your experience can be!
