When I was a kid, my parents used to tell me to eat faster, saying I could earn more money. Now, as an adult, I understand what it means. When I was busy, I often grabbed a quick and usually improper meal, finishing it hastily. I remember quite a few times I skipped my meals, thinking, could I finish the tasks on hand and impress my boss with my fast performance and commitment. So, eating fast was just part of being busy. I did not question it and did not even notice it. I was younger back then, and I don’t think that was a problem.

My breakfast was always rushed. One or two pieces of toast bread, and then I was off, stuck in the traffic. My lunch? Eaten over my laptop between calls. If I were facing a tight deadline, my dinner would be past 9 evening or even midnight. It looked very productive, but thinking back, I was like a fool. I used to eat standing on the roadside. Slowing down seems like a luxury I could not afford. Eventually, a few mindful bites made a difference.

Until one day, I realised my stomach had been acting weird, I did not know how to describe it, so I went to see a doctor. I was prescribed Gaviscon for acid reflux due to indigestion. It was okay, but I still felt uncomfortable. That week, I tried to eat on time and eat slowly. I could not remember the last time I had truly tasted a meal. I mean fully tasted it with peace. This realisation might seem insignificant, but it opened the door to something I did not know I had been missing.

We Eat Through Our Task

In a culture that glorifies productivity, food has been demoted to fuel.
Many of us resort to instant noodles and delivery services for convenience so that we can squeeze in more tasks or to chase deadlines.  Break times, supposed to be moments of rest, are seen as chances to get ahead. We think we are running out of time and should save it by not having a proper break, to rest, and eat. Some might be driving and eating simultaneously, or using phones while driving, echoing a chocolate bar marketed as a break because you supposedly don’t have time. 
We have been taught that every minute, every second should be calculated and maximised. If you are not doing something useful, it means you are falling behind the competition. So we multitask, we eat while scrolling, driving, commuting, and working. We try our best to optimise everything, to be as efficient as possible, to keep up with everything and everyone. We rush through our meals the same way we rush through life. We cram everything together to save time. We do not realise that sometimes we have too much, leaving us half full, half present, half alive. We eat through our to-do lists. We get so busy that we almost forget what real hunger feels like; it is not gone, but we have learned to ignore it. Hunger then becomes background noise, and we become skilled at silencing it.

Take Your Time to Slow Eating

I slept early and woke up earlier than before. I did not check my phone, and I allowed my body to adjust slowly to the morning. No striking loud alarm sound, just vibration on my wrist as an alarm. I took my time, not because I had plenty but because I wanted to be present, and ate a bowl of noodles. Nothing fancy, just warm and comforting. I could see the steam rising from the bowl. I waited for it to cool down and eat slowly, taking my time to bite a few times, breaking the food into smaller pieces. Hmmm, the fragrance of my favourite green Matcha, evoking presence, this moment, to be here and not there, pausing the chase, not to constantly find but to accept, to create, to be compassion. I put my iPad aside, with no notifications. Nothing competing for my attention. I did not rush. When I finished, I left the table feeling not just fully satisfied, but that made the whole day different. It felt like I had given my stomach time and space to breathe and digest properly.
If you ask me, so do I have to eat slowly? No, you don’t have to. Slow eating is not about eating your food in slow motion. It is giving yourself the space and time to be present with your food. It is like a mini refuel or recharge, so you will savour, notice and reconnect. It is a basic human need, yet it is something we all neglect in some part of our lives. How can we expect to function well if we don’t take this seriously? We are not machines. Even the machine needs maintenance downtime and tuning. 

Why We Have Forgotten How To Eat

We were not taught to slow down in many aspects of our lives, even when we were eating a meal or taking a bath. There is a reason slow eating feels weird, especially when everyone around us moves so fast. Cars are built faster, computers have more multitasking capabilities, and algorithms are trained to analyse your behaviour and react faster than what you are looking for. I feel sad sometimes that most of us try to speed up everything in life. Life passes so fast that your baby can grow up significantly in just a few days while you are busy working. In some places, eating quickly is not always a personal choice; it is often shaped by work, culture, or survival. Some people do not have the luxury of slow meals. Breaks are short, or sometimes demanding work surpasses break time. I see that. I lived that before. Most of us grew up rushing through meals: school lunches in 15-30 minutes, riding a bike and eating at the same time in some countries. I saw videos where some people postpone their meals until bedtime. That is so sad to me. Some of us were taught to feel guilty about food, treating it like a reward rather than a basic necessity. And sometimes, rest, or even simply sitting down to eat, can feel like wasting time. People in some countries stand up while eating. Eating quickly is a sign of adapting to a fast world, not a natural flow. But I wondered, what happens when we forget the joy of a shared table, the crunch of apple, the warmth of rice, the cool sensation of watermelon. These few moments remind me that I am here, allowed to pause and feel, even for a short period. I used to eat fast because it made me feel productive. At the same time, I wonder, what if the rest is productive too? 

But What If You’re in a Rush?

I was always in a rush, and I asked myself, when was the last time I ate without multitasking?
What if I try having a meal without a screen, just once a week, and see how it feels?
There are days when delaying or skipping a meal is unavoidable. But on the days I have more time, I have learned to make meals feel like a soft landing.
Maybe in our workplace, if we cannot have a normal lunch hour, perhaps we can take a slow first bite, a pause before we jump back into work. Five to ten minutes of having a proper, on-time meal, without a screen, just you and the meal itself. Give yourself a deep breath before the first bite. Notice the warmth of the food. Try not to pick up your phone while waiting for the food to cool down. Even if it is just for a few seconds. It is not always about the pace; it is about giving your body a moment to feel cared for, and your eyes and brain to relax, even if the world around you does not slow down.

Many of us eat quickly, not because we want to, but because we have to. Especially when speed becomes a job requirement, even lunch turns into a race to maximise our time. In workplaces where reward output and slowing down can feel unproductive, we may feel in a competitive world, that the pressure is constant and demanding, if we slow down, we are falling behind. What I found is that because of the fast-paced world, to be able to sustain ourselves long-term, energy and focus do not come from skipping breaks or swallowing meals. They come from giving your body what it needs to function at its best. That is why slowing down should be a tool, a method, a way to pull back and stay grounded and ready for the long game. Instead, we should prioritise the simple act of taking real breaks, of sitting down for a meal, even for a short period, to let our bodies catch up with our ambition because it is fuel for today and our goals. We have to remind ourselves, we are human, even in systems that ask us to be machines.