The Power of Eating Slowly: How Small Changes Improve Your Gut Health
🕒 6-7 min read
Quick peek? Here’s what you’ll want to know:
Eating slowly improves digestion, helps your body absorb more nutrients, and leaves you feeling lighter and energized.
Start with one meal today…pause, chew thoroughly, and notice each bite.
Dive deeper into mindful eating with your free 7-Day Food & Observation Journal.
If you often feel bloated, low on energy, or disconnected from your meals, this blog was written with you in mind.
📌 Keep reading - or save this post for when you’re ready to slow down and truly support your digestion.
When was the last time you paid attention to your meal? I mean, really paid attention.
The feel of melted cheese squishing between your teeth as you take that first bite of pizza. The tart instantly giving way to sweet in a strawberry. The satisfying mix of crunch and creaminess with chips and guac. Maybe you noticed those things in the first bite, but did you keep noticing as the meal went on?
Probably not…with good reason.
Your attention is being pulled in a hundred directions. Social media pings, thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow, the endless to-do list crowding out space for anything else.
Although easier said than done, being present with your food is more critical to your gut health than you might think. The pace at which you eat, and how connected you are to your meal, directly affects how well you digest your food and how energized you feel afterward.
I notice every day how eating quickly and mindlessly takes a toll on digestion, for my clients and for me. What I also notice is how powerful it can be to bring in just a bit of knowledge, awareness, and the simple act of slowing down at the table. It’s often one of the easiest first steps toward improving digestion.
Let’s take a closer look at what happens in your digestive system, why slowing down at meals makes such a difference, and the simple practices you can use right away to feel better…without changing a single food on your plate.
What Actually Happens When You Eat
You might think digestion is just eating and, well… eventually pooping. But your body actually moves through seven key steps every time you eat.
1. Your first bite…the cephalic phase
The first step is, of course, eating. Picking up that fork and taking that first bite. It might seem like this step is all about the choice of what you eat, but in reality it’s the connection to what you’re eating that will drive the rest of the digestive process and whether you’ll have digestive or energy issues. That’s because this step, called the cephalic phase, helps ensure other phases along the journey are working optimally. In this phase the sight, smell, taste, and even anticipation of food will stimulate the release of saliva and gastric juices to help with the next step.
2. Breaking it down…the actual digestion
Once food enters, you need to start breaking it down to get nutrients and fuel. This is done both mechanically, through chewing and stomach churns, as well as chemically. Saliva, stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and other secretions along the journey are your chemical helpers. Without the ability to mechanically and chemically break down your food, it can set the stage for digestive symptoms. Eating slowly helps both happen efficiently.
3. Your little helpers…the secretions
Saliva, stomach acid, and digestive enzymes are just some of the many secretions happening in your digestive tract. Along the way, you are releasing different substances that help break down your food, move it along, protect your gut lining, and even reduce inflammation. The easiest way to support this step is…eating slowly.
Take a moment before your first bite to truly notice your meal. This primes your digestive system to work more efficiently.
4. The movers and shakers…the steady flow
Your body is designed to move food through your digestive tract by mixing (with tongue movements and stomach churns) and propelling your food forward through peristaltic waves and the migrating motor complex. You don’t need to remember these phrases. Remember eating quickly skips part of the mixing phase, making it harder to keep things moving along. Slow, mindful eating allows this process to happen efficiently and with fewer symptoms.
5. Get the good stuff…the absorption
If food is properly broken down, nutrients are available and ready to be absorbed through your small intestine. All the steps before this need to be working to get your fuel and nutrients from whatever food you choose. Eating slowly helps your body get the maximum benefit from each bite: the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, carbs, and fatty acids your cells need.
6. Spread the love…the assimilation
Once you’ve absorbed the nutrients and fuel from your food, your body can send them to the cells that need them. This is the ultimate goal of digestion: turning food into energy, resilience, and optimal health. You aren’t just what you eat. You are what you eat, absorb, and assimilate.
7. The other end goal…the elimination
Finally, at the end of the road, your body eliminates what it didn’t use. Your digestive goal is to get as much nutrients and fuel from your food as you can, and eliminate the rest. How effective all the other steps are will dictate if this final step happens smoothly.
So you can see how eating quickly and mindlessly sets the stage for less breakdown, inefficient secretions, altered movement, decreased absorption, and less effective elimination.
The attention you bring to your first few bites is the most important step in the entire process.
Take a moment to savor each bite, breathe in the aromas, and connect with your meal. This small pause could make all the difference.
How Your Brain Talks to Your Gut
Now that you understand the digestive steps, it helps to know that your gut isn’t just working on its own. Your digestive system has its own nervous system called the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), which communicates directly with your brain through your vagus nerve. This is the gut-brain connection you may have heard about.
That first step in digestion, starting the moment you pick up your fork, is powered by this connection. When you slow down and pay attention to your meal, your brain sends signals to your gut to release saliva, stomach acid, and other digestive juices. Your body is literally preparing for the food coming in.
Think of the last time you walked past a bakery. You caught the scent of fresh bread or pastries, and your mouth started to water before you even bought anything. That’s your cephalic phase in action. Your brain and gut are working together to get ready for that pastry.
Now if you sit down and really savor your food, noticing the smells, textures, and flavors, you’ll amplify this communication. Your body breaks down food more efficiently, absorbs nutrients better, and moves things steadily along. You’ll also notice a sense of lightness and energy that shows your digestion is working smoothly.
But if you rush your meal, your brain doesn’t get the message in time. You’re not fully prepared for the food coming in, so it sits longer and you have to work harder to get through all the steps. This leads to bloating, gas, altered bowel habits, abdominal discomfort and even nutrient malabsorption.
Slowing down at your meals isn’t just a nice idea. Taking the time to notice and savor each bite can help you:
Digest more efficiently. Chewing properly and slowing your pace give your digestive system the time it needs to break down your food.
Absorb more nutrients. When food is broken down efficiently, your body can make the most of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in each bite.
Feel energized and lighter. Properly digested food supports steady energy and leaves you feeling light instead of bloated and uncomfortable.
Tune into hunger and fullness cues. Slowing down gives your body time to recognize when you’re satisfied, helping you naturally manage portions.
Slowing down is just the start. If you want to dive deeper into how your gut influences cravings and ways to tune into your body, check out my blog: 5 Gut-Health Shifts to Reduce Cravings Without Relying on Willpower
How to Start Eating More Slowly and Mindfully
Slowing down while you eat might feel strange at first, but a few small changes can go a long way. Try these simple strategies to help your digestion, get more from your food, and feel lighter and more energized after meals.
1. Pick one meal to focus on first
Don’t try to slow down every meal at once. Start with the one meal that feels easiest to slow down, whether that’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There’s no wrong place to start.
2. Time your meal
Notice how long it currently takes you to eat. Use this tool for awareness, not judgment, and you might be surprised to discover a 3-minute lunch is your norm. Let that be your starting time and work on eating slower than that each time.
Pause for a moment before diving into your meal. Notice the time, take a breath, and allow yourself to slow down (even during a busy workday) so your body has the space to digest and absorb nutrients efficiently.
3. Chew thoroughly
Aim for a little slower chewing rather than rushing through every bite. Not only does this help mechanically break down your food, but it also primes the chemical breakdown of your food.
4. Pause between bites
Set your fork or utensil down between bites. As you wait between bites, notice the flavors and textures, and check in with how full or satisfied you feel.
Want to make every meal work for you? Discover 4 simple habits to eat with awareness HERE
5. Engage your senses
Look at your food, smell it, notice the textures, and anticipate each bite. This supports the cephalic phase of digestion and supports the rest of the digestive process.
6. Progress Gradually
Your goal is to take 20-30 minutes to eat your meal. That might feel like a big ask, but you don’t have to get there tomorrow if it currently takes 2-3 minutes! For now, just aim to add a minute or two to each meal and notice how it feels.
7. Reflect afterward
After eating, take a moment to notice how you feel. Are you more comfortable? Less bloated? A little more energized? These small reflections help reinforce the habit.
Curious how your body responds when you really pay attention? Download your FREE 7-Day Food & Observation Journal and see what your meals are telling you.
Final Thoughts: Slowly Transform Your Meals
Slowing down at the table might seem insignificant, but it’s one of the most powerful tools you can use for better digestion, energy, and relationship with food.
Eating slowly and mindfully isn’t about perfection. It’s about curiosity, connection, and practice. Each bite is an opportunity to give your digestive system the time it needs to work efficiently, absorb nutrients, and leave you feeling light and energized.
Give yourself permission to take your time, notice your meals, and practice patience with the process. Over time, even small shifts can transform how your body feels and how you experience and enjoy your meals.
Love more tips to help you feel better in your body? Get them delivered straight to your inbox with The Mindful Digest.
RESOURCES
Boundless. Cephalic Phase. In: Anatomy and Physiology. LibreTexts; 2023. Accessed November 6, 2024. https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Boundless)/22:_Digestive_System/22.14:_Phases_of_Digestion/22.14A:_Cephalic_Phase
© Stephanie Walsh and Walsh Approach, 2025. I pour a lot of care into creating this content, so please don’t copy or reuse it without permission. You’re always welcome to share excerpts or links if you give clear credit back to Stephanie Walsh and Walsh Approach.