Slow Down to Feel Good: New Study Shows Eating Slowly Boosts Meal Enjoyment

London, United Kingdom May 8, 2025 (Issuewire.com) Eatifuls digital health solution links slower eating with increased satisfactionsupporting a more holistic, non-diet approach to weight care.

Slowing down at mealtimes could be a simple but powerful tool to improve how we eat and how we feel. New findings from Eatifula digital mindful eating app reveal that eating more slowly significantly increases meal enjoyment, offering an alternative or complementary approach to traditional weight management strategies.

The early-stage research is to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025 and was conducted by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University. The preliminary findings conclude that participants who ate slowly were more than twice as likely to enjoy their meals compared to those who ate quickly. These insights sit at the heart of Eatifuls behaviour-first intervention, which focuses on how and why people eat, rather than what they eat.

This comes at a time when weight loss medication, particularly GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, are on the rise. While these medications show promising results in supporting weight reduction, health leaders and clinicians are increasingly recognising the need for complementary psychological support to address long-standing eating behaviours, food relationships, and emotional drivers of weight gain.

Eatifuls key findings include:

Eating slowly boosts enjoyment: Significantly greater satisfaction reported among those who slowed down during meals.

Mood improvements over time: Participants reported feeling better after meals as they adopted mindful eating techniques.

Portion size did not influence satisfaction: Suggesting that eating habits, not quantity, are central to positive food experiences.

Emotional and hidden eating, menopause, and caregiving pressures emerged as powerful influences on participants eating behaviours.

Medication can be a helpful tool, said Katie Lips, Founder of Eatiful. But if we dont also address the why behind eatingemotions, habits, work and family commitments, societal norms and mindsetwe risk missing the full picture. Our findings suggest that slowing down and eating mindfully can change not just what happens at mealtimes, but how people feel in themselves.

With the shift toward holistic and preventative approaches in healthcare, Eatiful provides a novel, digital-first solution to complement clinical treatments, offering accessible behavioural support at scale.

Full results from the study will be available later in 2025.