Slow Music for Dinner

We get into routines of food consumption for all kinds of reasons,

such as convenience and comfort, that have nothing to do with
our biological need for food. Strategies are available to reduce your inclination
to overeat that have nothing to do with depriving yourself of the
food you need. Listen to slow music while eating, for example, and you
will slow yourself down and wind up eating less.
MICHAEL SUFFERED FROM weight and health problems throughout his
childhood. Now he runs a fi tness camp for children in New England.
He knows that kids feel like they are being sent off to prison when they
arrive. “They think this is going to be bread and water and lockdowns,”
he says.
Instead, Michael emphasizes the need for realistic changes, including
smaller portions, better nutrition, and more activity. “The campers are so
busy with skating, climbing, paddleboats, that they seldom think about
food during the day. They realize they are having fun here, and that they
are safe here because no one will make fun of them.”
To keep the intensity just right, Michael also relies on music: “Music
sets the tempo for what we are doing. During activity times, we turn up
the fast-paced music the children like to hear. During dinnertime, we
have something slower that I like to hear. We tend to mimic the pace of
the music we listen to, so the fast music encourages activity, while the
slow music helps to encourage a more patient approach to eating.”
Researchers found that music can help or hurt dieters. Their study found
that the average diner eats fi ve mouthfuls a minute when listening to music
with a lively beat, four mouthfuls a minute when listening to no music, and
three mouthfuls a minute when listening to a slow melody. (Johns Hopkins
University 1997)