This post is sponsored by The Laughing Cow® and features a fun giveaway that I assembled myself that I hope you guys will love! I am an official brand advocate for The Laughing Cow® in 2014 and while I receive compensation for participation, opinions are my own. I hope you enjoy this post and thanks so much for your support!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you likely already know that I consider myself a very fast eater. (Remember this blog post when I talked about some of the methods Ryan and I use to try to prolong our dinner dates!?) Slowing down and savoring my food takes effort on my part. I’ve always been a really fast eater and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been one of the first people to clear my plate in almost any social setting.
When The Laughing Cow® reached out to me about their new initiative that centers around savoring snack time, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I know I personally could stand to slow down and enjoy my food a little more and this seemed like a good push to brainstorm ways to make myself take a moment and enjoy what I’m eating.
Below you will find some tips and tricks I’ve been trying to practice during snack and meal times to help me appreciate what I’m eating and actually experience food rather than just inhaling it all the time. I’ve also featured some food pairings with The Laughing Cow Cheeses to give you some snack time inspiration!
Simple Tips for Savoring Snack Time
- Step Away from Electronic Distractions
All too often I’ll eat when I’m working at the computer and look up and think to myself, “I don’t even remember tasting that meal!” What a shame! I never watch TV during the day, but I am on the computer all the time. I also check my phone a lot since I use it to respond to emails, blog comments and other work-related tasks. By stepping away from electronic distractions, I feel much more in the moment and this makes me concentrate on tasting and savoring my snacks and meals.
Crisp Apple Slices + Roasted Almonds + The Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedges
- Place My Fork Down In Between Bites
This is a tip I read in a magazine years ago that really does work. I tend to shovel food in my mouth a little too quickly, and taking the time to put down my fork or spoon in between bites extends mealtime a little bit and allows me to think more about what I’m eating and enjoy it.
Cucumber Slices + The Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Garlic & Herb Cheese Wedges + Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Enjoy A Snack with a Mug of Hot Tea
This is something I tend to do at breakfast time that makes my morning meal last a little longer, so I tried extending it to snack time and it really does help! If I fix myself an afternoon snack and a hot cup of tea, I’m much more likely to sit down and enjoy my snack rather than grabbing it and stuffing it into my mouth while I’m on the go. Which leads me to my next bullet point…
Gluten-Free Almond Crackers + Ham Pinwheels + The Laughing Cow Creamy White Cheddar Cheese Wedges + Cracked Pepper
- Sit Down
I am the queen of eating at the kitchen counter. When I make myself grab a plate or a bowl and take my snack to the table, it seems to send a message to my brain that this is a time I need to chill out and enjoy what I’m eating rather than eat something as fast as possible before it’s onto the next thing.
Fresh Strawberries + Pretzel Crisps + The Laughing Cow Creamy Light Swiss Cheese Wedges
- Break the Routine
I tend to eat the same snacks over and over again until I get sick of them and discover something new. When I take the time to get a little creative in the kitchen and try something new, I find that I’m a lot more likely to notice and enjoy what I am eating.
And now it’s giveaway time!
I have personally assembled a giveaway worth $300 for one PBF reader to win! I tried to select items to help you kick back and relax a bit so you can thoroughly savor your meals and snacks!
This giveaway includes:
- $100 lululemon gift card – For you to pick up some super cute, comfy lounge-worthy apparel that you can also wear in public
- Cable knit throw from Pottery Barn – To curl up with while you enjoy a delicious snack this winter
- Le Creuset tea kettle (color of your choice) – To brew a hot beverage to sip while you eat
- Anthropologie mug with your initial – So you can sip your tea in style
- Snack Time Kit from The Laughing Cow
To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below telling me about one of the tricks you use to encourage yourself to slow down and savor your food or tell me about your favorite snack!
I will randomly select a winner on Friday.
Good luck!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I always put it on a plate instead of eating straight out of a bag or package. It works!
My favorite snack is a quest bar baked in little pieces and then put in a bowl with some almond milk! So good!
This sounds kinda gross but when I am eating something sweet like candy I try to swallow each each piece/bite and use my tough to get it out of my back teeth too before taking another bite
If I did not cook the meal, I will try to savor each bite and try to figure out what the ingredients are in the dish! Great giveaway!
My favorite snack is greek yogurt with pumpkin and honey!
Snacking with a friend as we catch up on life together always helps me slow down… You can’t eat and talk at the same time!
I try to always sit at the table and sip water throughout the meal. That usually helps fill me up too 🙂 Great giveaway!
My husband and I love to try different kinds of cheese for snacks with some fruit. We love cheese, so it’s easy to eat fast! We try to slow down by talking about each cheese as we try it, kind of like we would if we were tasting wine! It definitely helps to sit down, too.
What a sweet give-a-way! Thanks, Julie! If I’m not ravenous, sometimes going for a hike or a brief walk around my neighborhood gets out any excess energy or stress from work and then I can then really relax and savor my snack afterwards. Most recently, I’m really loving quaker oat square cereal in almond milk + cashews as a yummy fast snack.
I usually try to take out the portion I want to eat so I can see it. If it is a bag or package, I close it and try to savor the portion, telling myself I won’t get more once the serving is gone. I slow down to try not to let my serving disappear too quickly! Sometimes this works, sometimes I still get more!
My trick comes from a meditation retreat – I slow down when I remind myself to chew 10-20 times for each bite!
I use cloth napkins and my china, even for snacks, feels like a special treat so I want to sit and enjoy it!
My favorite snack is cheese and cracker 🙂
Sitting down while I eat and taking smaller bites. My go to snack is a banana with almond butter! Yum!
My favorite snack is definitely apples and peanut butter! I try to drink either water/hot tea while I eat to savour the meal! It is so easy to get distracted and eat without tasting though. Thanks for the reminder to slow down and smell the roses (or taste the peanut butter in my case!)
Before I start eating, it helps me to think about the amazing processes that allowed the food and ingredients to get to my plate in the first place. Thinking about the sun, the rain, the soil–all the way down to putting food on the grocery store shelves or transporting the food to a farmer’s market– serves as a reminder to savor and taste what’s in front of me.
Lately I’ve been hooked on Trader Joe’s white bean and basil hummus with their rice crackers!!
I am a volume eater, so a snack like popcorn is perfect for me! When snacking on popcorn or any other snack, I try to drink lots of water in between bites to help slow me down a little bit. If I don’t do that, I eat waaaaaay too fast!
I am guilty of grabbing a few bites of something every time I walk by my pantry and then wondering why I’m not hungry for dinner at night. The only thing I’ve found that helps is to make myself sit at a table without electronics when I have a snack or a meal. After I instituted this rule I’ve found that I’ll just keep walking because I don’t want to/have time to actually sit down to eat. Thanks for this giveaway Julie!
Quest bars! I cut a bar into six pieces and bake it in the oven to make delicious “cookies”
My favorite snack is Greek yogurt with fruit!
I remind myself of all the negative consequences I have personally encountered from stress and not slowing down. This encourages me to slow it down!!
I try to remind myself that it isn’t the last meal I’ll ever eat. I usually eat a lot slower when it is something I make myself!
Definitely putting my phone away and pausing to sit down. I try to be intentional about that because I’m usually having snack time with my daughters, and want them to develop healthy habits when it comes to snack time too!
One of my go to snacks is pretzel crisps and laughing cow- delicious! Love that you enjoy it too and with strawberries I need to add that in next time. I often eat quickly when I have a meal by myself because I am tuned into the food itself and not on mealtime. I try to eat with people whether colleagues or friends/family even at work just to engage in conversation and make the meal more about a social event than just shoveling food in my mouth as fast as I can ( which is too often the case) this may sound silly or even simple but pausing or postponing meal time to be with other people makes your day more enjoyable 🙂
I also tend to eat quickly if I don’t think about it! Taking my snack to the table helps me savor the food I’m eating, otherwise I end up eating more than I anticipated and feeling less satisfied. Right now, my go to snack is a banana or apple with almond butter or greek yogurt with PB2 and granola!
I try to go ahead and portion out a serving of whatever I am eating and put it on a plate so that it is a complete snack (meaning no getting more!) to prevent mindless snacking which easily leads to overeating for me! It also shows me how much I have, so I know to enjoy it before it’s gone, knowing I won’t be getting more. Hope that made sense 🙂
I like to eat with people I can have a conversation with. It helps me to be mindful of eating slower & enjoying my food, and also being mindful of my portion sizes and stopping when I’m full!
My favorite snack – red pepper strips and trader joes garlic hummus!
My all time favorite snack is cheese of any kind but if I don’t prepare myself a plate I could easily finish off half of a block without even noticing. So I’ve learned to prep a smorgasboard of sorts for myself, cutting up fruit slices and placing nuts, pepperoni, olives, crackers etc. on a plate to add to my cheese snacking habits. A nice presentation has a way of slowing me down and enjoying my food more.
My favorite snack of late is popcorn with pumpkin spice almonds and cinnamon chips! The weather’s been so nice, I’ve been snacking outside!
I try to incorporate as much intuitive eating into my snacks as an RD. I try to really think about what I want to eat so I will naturally savor whatever I am eating because I am being thoughtful from the start. If I don’t get the flavor, texture, or satiety level right, I will inevitably find myself back in the pb jar 😉 closing my eyes, smelling and experiencing my food always helps!
My favorite snack is berries and Greek yogurt. I am also a super fast eater!
Hi there! Hope you had a good Canadian thanksgiving weekend! I would have to say that my healthy snacking tip when I’m indulging would be to serve myself a portion of something (eg. Chips, chocolates, etc) rather then eating out of the bag or package. I find I’m better able to recognize when I’m full or satisfied. Cheers!
I used Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese in my Israeli couscous tonight- delicious! My favorite way to slow down and enjoy my snack or meal is to go out on our balcony, away from distractions of electronics, and enjoy the pretty views! It also love serving my food on pretty/fun dishes (anthropologie!).
enjoy it with others and converse!
I usually try to chew each bite of my food at least 10-15 times. At first I had to consciously think about it, (as I was swallowing after about 3 chews), but now it comes natural. I feel like I enjoy the flavor more and it takes longer to eat that way =)
I use the put the form down trick to try to slow down when eating and also enjoy conversation. I find if I’m out to eat with someone and I don’t eat when they are talking I slow done more and wait for lulls to take a bite. If I’m by myer and snacking I try to choose foods that are small bites, like almonds or berries and eat one at a time I stead of a few at a time
There are so many things that encourage me to eat as fast as I do!
I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I think what helps me eat slower is when I am around other people. Then I am a little more aware of the fact that I am shoveling food into my mouth rather than enjoying it. I also try not to be famished before I eat a meal because then I tend to overeat and eat fast at the same time.
Sitting down and making a small plate of a few different snacks!
My favorite snack is apples and peanut butter!
My favorite snack is cheese sticks with bbq rice thin crackers!
I love anything covered in almond butter! A slightly expensive addiction 😉
I eat with my non-dominant hand. This forces me to slow down, or I’ll end up with food all over myself. 🙂
My favorite snack is all natural crunchy peanut butter on triscuits with a sliced apple. Salty, sweet and refreshing all in one!
Oh my goodness! What an awesome giveaway and post!! It’s easy for me to stop and savor my meals, but it is hard to do with snacks, isn’t it? I will definitely use the tea idea. And I think I’m just like you-favorite snack will forever and always be peanut butter (alone or on….anything!) 🙂 have you dipped baby carrots in peanut butter? Better than celery… 🙂
I try and savor my snacks by breaking/cutting them into smaller pieces and savoring each bite rather than shoving the entire thing in my mouth. This giveaway looks amazing!!
Turning off any electronics definitely helps! I like to sit and read a real paper on Saturdays over breakie. It helps me slow down and enjoy my meal:)
My favorite snack is apple slices with cheese : ) I have found that putting down my fork, spoon, or other utensil can be extremely helpful in helping me to slow down and enjoy my food – and company!
One of my tricks is to snack with a friend. When you’re gabbing, you slow down and savor each bite (and story)!