LONDON (AP) — You can have your cake and eat it too — just do it slowly.
Experts tend to focus on the kinds of foods you can eat to improve your health. But the speed at which you devour your dinner matters just as much. There are risks with eating too fast — think stuck food and the potential to overeat before your brain tells you to stop. (Inhaling your food also risks annoying your slower-paced dining companions or the person who took the time to cook your meal.)
Here are some tips from scientists on how to slow down and take a more mindful approach to consuming your diet.
If you’re the kind of person who can regularly polish off breakfast, lunch or dinner in less than 20-30 minutes, you are eating too fast.
“It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to communicate to the brain via a whole host of hormonal signals that it’s full,” said Leslie Heinberg, at the Center for Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic. “So when people eat rapidly, they can miss these signals and it’s very easy to eat beyond the point of fullness.”
People who eat quickly are likely to swallow more air, Heinberg said, which could lead to bloating or indigestion. Not chewing your food properly can also compromise digestion, meaning you won’t get all of the nutrients from your food. Unchewed pieces of food also could get stuck in your esophagus.
Some previous studies have suggested that people who eat quickly have the highest risk of obesity, while the slowest eaters were the least likely to be obese.
For starters, turn off the TV and put down your phone.
“If you’re eating while you watch TV, people tend to eat until there’s a commercial or the show is over,” Heinberg said, adding that people are less inclined to pay attention to the body’s own signals that it’s full. “When we do things while we’re eating, we’re eating less mindfully. And that often causes us to eat more.”
She said that when people focus exclusively on eating, they tend to enjoy the meal more and eat less.
Heinberg also acknowledged the pace at which you eat is often an ingrained habit, but said change is still possible. She suggested things like using your non-dominant hand to eat, trying utensils you might not ordinarily use like chopsticks or taking a deliberate break to drink water when your plate is partially empty.
If you have a busy life, it might be unavoidable to eat lunch at a work meeting or snack while running errands. But Sarah Berry, chief scientist at the British nutritional company ZOE, said when possible, “be mindful of what the food tastes and feels like.”
“If we’re not fully present, it’s very easy to eat more quickly and not notice how much we’ve consumed," Berry said.
One of the simplest things to do is to increase the number of bites you take, said Helen McCarthy, a clinical psychologist with the British Psychological Society.
“If you chew each mouthful a little bit longer, that will slow down your eating,” she said.
The kind of food you eat may also make a difference, pointing out that it’s much easier to eat ultraprocessed or fast foods quicker, because they typically have a softer texture.
“It’s hard to eat vegetables and protein at the same rate as something that’s highly processed and requires less chewing," McCarthy said.
Some of her patients also reported an unintentional side effect once they began eating more slowly, referencing one woman who often ate a tube of potato chips every evening. When McCarthy told her to slow down and eat every single chip individually, her patient told her “it was like having a mouthful of claggy chemicals.”
“She didn’t find (the chips) enjoyable anymore,” McCarthy said.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Salmon poached in green salsa and topped with baked chips are displayed for a photo in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File)
CINCINNATI (AP) — Myles Garrett has sacked Joe Burrow plenty of times in the six seasons since Burrow was the top overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020.
That's why it would be fitting if the Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass rusher takes down the Bengals quarterback Sunday to tie or set the NFL's single-season sacks record.
“He’s got me a lot," Burrow said.
Eleven times, actually. That's tied with Baltimore's Lamar Jackson for the most among the 51 players Garrett has sacked.
For the season, Garrett is at 22 sacks and needs one to surpass Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt’s shared mark of 22 1/2.
“I’ve seen his face on the ground looking up at me saying, ‘Hi, Myles’ and ‘Hi, Joe’, too many times. So yeah, I figured he’d be at the top," Garrett said Friday about Burrow's spot on his personal sacks list.
Garrett had two sacks in the Browns' 17-16 loss to the Bengals in the season opener. He's also three away from achieving his goal of 25, which he has had written on his right wrist tape since early in the season.
“My confidence hasn't wavered," Garrett said of setting the record. "I'm fully confident that it will come.”
Burrow said the one thing he has appreciated about Garrett is the ability to remain even-keeled despite what is taking place around him.
“He’s more athletic than everybody else on the field. He’s bigger, stronger than everybody else," Burrow said. “He has a mindset that he’s not too high or too low at any point, which is pretty unique for a defensive lineman. I think he’s probably got a unique mindset as far as that position goes, but it’s one that you can appreciate.”
Both teams would like to end the season with a win.
Cleveland (4-12) surpassed its win total from last year with a 13-6 victory over Pittsburgh last week. Cincinnati (6-10) has two straight weeks during which it has scored at least 37 points after being shut out against Baltimore on Dec. 14.
Kevin Stefanski could be coaching his last game for the Browns on Sunday. He's a two-time NFL coach of the year, but Cleveland has gone 7-26 since making the playoffs in 2023.
Stefanski, who has a 44-56 record, has refused to address his future the past couple weeks. He has led the Browns for six seasons, the longest tenure for a Cleveland coach since Sam Rutigliano, who was at the helm for 6 1/2 seasons from 1978 through '84.
“This game is never going to be about one person, and that includes me,” Stefanski said on Friday.
If the Browns part ways with Stefanski, it likely won't take long. Since Jimmy Haslam became owner in 2012, the news of a coaching change has happened on Sunday night after the final game.
“I want things to be successful. However that looks," said Garrett about if he would prefer to see continuity with the coaching staff.
Zac Taylor appears set for an eighth season in Cincinnati despite a 52-62-1 mark and not making the playoffs for the third straight year.
Taylor has two seasons remaining on his contract and owner Mike Brown is conservative when it comes to making changes. Taylor also has the backing of Burrow, who has often expressed his support for not only his coach, but the front office.
Cleveland rookie QB Shedeur Sanders will be without his leading rusher and receiver.
Running back Quinshon Judkins was lost for the season with a broken leg on Dec. 21 against Buffalo, and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been declared out due to a groin injury. Fannin first suffered it during practice on Dec. 26 and aggravated it two days later against Pittsburgh after catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Sanders.
Sanders is 2-4 and averaging 207 passing yards per game in his six starts.
“Just stay consistent, taking what they give me," Sanders said about his goals for the final start. "Whenever we get off rhythm, get back on rhythm, get back on track. And I think that’s the next part of my game I’m trying to evolve is whenever it’s either we’re stagnant or some adversity comes and being able to get back on track.”
The Bengals' defense is ranked near the bottom of most categories — including last in total and yards rushing allowed — but it has done a better job of forcing turnovers during the latter half of the season.
Cincinnati has forced 11 takeaways the last six games, tied for third most in the NFL during that span.
More could come against the Browns as Sanders has thrown seven interceptions the past three games.
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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor watches from the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, left, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow reacts during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) warms up before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
