I can't remember who said it here, but someone on PH talks about mindful eating. In particular, she (I think) mentions putting down your fork and taking a breath to relax.

In my case, I don't go quite that far but I always eat a large salad before my main meal and I've found if I treat it like a bag of chips in front of the TV I tend to eat it slower and crunch each bite more thoroughly.

My point is, experiment and try to figure out what will cause you to eat slower. You can try reading :O while you eat, or reading PH, or whatever will stop you from non-stop shoveling of the food--I'm describing myself there, not you.

Eating your food thoroughly is great advice. If I start with a tasty main dish I don't tend to remember but if I start with fruit or salad I do. And then when I get to the main dish the edge is off my hunger and my world-famous shoveling technique doesn't come into play. :-))

• The digestion already starts in your mouth. The longer, the better. Overall less digestive energy will be needed.
• You eat slower and may eat less ( When you are eating slower, your brain can tell you that you are full)
• Less stress. Just sit back and relax, no hurry.
• Poorly digested food means poor absorption of the vitamins and nutrients that the foods you are eating provide
• Less (chance for) reflux, flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, gas, IBS,....
• Incomplete digestion can lead to bacterial overgrowth

I used to swallow my food more or less whole (I actually didn't notice that) and had a lot of reflux. It took a long time to change that as it takes a lot of time to change quite every (bad) habit. Just stick to it. Be persistent.

Chew your drink, and drink your food.

I definetely feel better and less bloated if I chew my food thoroughly. I also enjoy/savour the food more. I also find that if I eat too fast I'm prone to feeling both stuffed and unsatisfied at the same time, which can lead to binges. Chewing thoroughly and taking my time also helps me realise when I'm full and satisfied and don't need to eat more.

I still haven't perfected the art of slow eating and thorough chewing, but I can say that it helps to put the fork/spoon down and not pick it up again until you've chewed and swallowed a bite of food. Also trying to recognise all the flavours and enjoying them.

i try to count at least 15 chews. i also make eating time special me time. no tv, no books, just me and the food which i prepared. and i practice gratitude in my head.. but thats not necessary.. heres a good site for this purpose: http://www.tcme.org/

edit: you want it to be pretty well chewed.. benefits are basically way less stress on your digestive system and better absorption of nutrients and efficency of digestive enzymes aka less tummy problems