The 20-minute meal is having a moment on social media with users claiming it does everything from help you enjoy your food more to consuming less off your plate. As a self-confessed fast eater, I spent a week trying it out to see if the 20-minute eating trend really did serve up some health benefits.
How I tried to eat in a 20-minute period
Mindful eating is not something I’m good at, particularly as I tend to grab food on the go. It also doesn’t help that my two dogs stare at me whenever I do sit down to eat so I have a tendency to gobble my food up before they do. It’s a trait I’ve passed down to my younger son who can finish his meal in minutes, only for me to tell him to slow down. So, in a bid to follow my parental advice – and debunk this social media trend – I tried to eat all my meals within a 20-minute sitting.
On the times I did remember I had committed to this challenge, I relished the enjoyment of having a leisurely meal, eating at the same pace as my husband. However, for probably half of the seven days, I forgot I was doing the 20-minute eating regime, and shoved my food down in one swoop. That said, I did discover plenty of benefits of eating slowly but – despite social media claims – it did not lead to weight loss! And that’s exactly why you have to take trends like this with a pinch of salt as, from my experience, my weight remained exactly the same.
However, there were some benefits I took from eating this way, on the days I did remember to slow down. For starters, (excuse the pun), it did make me eat less. Not so much as in I left a lot of food on my plate but, as someone who tends to eats healthily, I found I didn’t need that extra sweet potato or second helping of salmon that I usually eat without thinking. And that’s because – forced to think – I actually experienced the feeling of satiety by not autopilot eating. By being present in the moment, paying more attention to my body’s hunger and fullness cues, I realised I wasn’t in fact hungry.
Fortunately, I’m not someone who has many digestive problems so I can’t comment on whether it helped my gut – or butt (!) but I can definitely say my tummy felt less bloated.
So, is there any actual science behind this 20 minute rule of thumb or is it just a word of mouth trend that has gone viral?
The answer is a slight bit of both, but more the latter. Whilst I couldn’t find any scientific facts to back up the 20-minute eating plan, what I did discover was research has proven that slowing down your food intake is beneficial because you notice fullness sooner, it can make meals more enjoyable, it may help digestion and it encourages mindful eating. I think I can attest to three out of the four of those. As for why it has gone viral on social media, it seems to be having a moment because of the fast-paced world we all live in, so it’s a simple “hack” to slow down. Yes, users have claimed it can lead to weight loss – which will always get eyeballs on it – but as I mentioned in my case, the scales remained the same.
According to dietician and nutritionist Jennifer Scherer, founder of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio “slowing down is a worthwhile habit, but 20 minutes shouldn’t become another food rule.
“When we rush through a meal, it’s easy to move from hungry to uncomfortably full before we’ve paused to notice how we feel. Slowing down gives us more opportunities to recognize that comfortable stopping point.
“I would treat 20 minutes as a gentle reminder to give yourself time to eat. Your body doesn’t operate on a stopwatch, and fullness isn’t a switch that suddenly flips at minute 20. If you’re comfortably satisfied sooner, you don’t need to keep eating to meet a time target.”
How to slow down your eating
As a seasoned eat-on-the-go woman, I’m keen to know how we can teach ourselves to slow down.
“I encourage people to start with one meal and one small change. If lunch usually takes five minutes, try giving yourself a few extra minutes instead of immediately aiming for 20,” explained Jennifer Scherer.
“A few practical strategies I recommend:
Sit down and put your phone aside so you can pay attention to your meal.
Take smaller bites and finish chewing and swallowing before taking the next bite.
Put your fork down occasionally rather than continuously preparing the next mouthful.
Pause halfway through and ask: “Am I still hungry? How comfortable does my stomach feel? Am I enjoying this?”
Avoid arriving at meals ravenous. If there’s a long gap between lunch and dinner, a planned snack may make a calmer pace more manageable.
“The goal is to enjoy your food and finish feeling comfortably satisfied. Slower eating can support that, but meal quality, adequate nourishment and consistency still matter. Simply stretching a meal to 20 minutes isn’t a weight-loss plan.”
Also agreeing the 20-minute plan isn’t a weight-loss guarantee is clinical dietician Lindsay Malone, of Case Western Reserve University
“I like the idea of slowing down and giving yourself time to enjoy a meal. Twenty minutes can be a helpful reminder, but it isn’t a magic number or a guarantee for weight loss. The benefit really comes from eating at a more comfortable pace, enjoying your food and noticing when you’ve had enough,” she explained. She also points to the gut-brain connection, saying:
“Your digestive system and brain are in constant communication. As food enters your stomach, the stomach expands and stretch-sensitive nerves send information to your brain, including through the vagus nerve. As nutrients reach the intestine, hormonal signals also help communicate that you’ve eaten. These signals work together to influence fullness. I often describe slowing down as “giving your stomach time to catch up.” More precisely, it gives those signals time to develop and gives you an opportunity to notice them before automatically getting more food.”
Her advice on teaching ourselves to slow down our eating includes sitting down at the dinner table and putting our phones away so as not distract us.
“Also, chew thoroughly. Think of a soft, well-chewed texture, like mashed potatoes. This is a practical cue, not a requirement to count every chew or achieve an exact consistency.”