Adopting the “slow down” mantra to your eating habits will leave you feeling healthier, lighter, and in shape! Why not try this 7-point plan:

1. Arrange your schedule so you have at least 30 quiet minutes for dinner

2. When you have dinner at home, have it in a specified dining area. That way you won’t associate food with the couch in front of the television, for instance

3. If the menu allows, divide your meal into courses like main course and vegetables, salad, and dessert. Choose the order that works best for you

4. Make the meal the focus of dinnertime. Turn off the television. Put away the newspaper. Let the answering machine take your calls. A little dinner music is fine, as long as it doesn’t distract you from the meal

5. Serve an eight-ounce glass of water with dinner. Between each bite, put down your fork and take a small sip of water. Sipping water forces you to slow down. Water with dinner also makes a meal more filling without adding any calories. Many people find it helps them more fully experience the flavours in a meal

6. Pay attention to how the food tastes. Notice how the flavours complement or contrast with one another. Take small bites and let them linger in your mouth long enough so that the full flavour is released

7. Between courses take a minute or two to relax, chat, and savour what you’ve just eaten. It may sound paradoxical, but lingering over dinner could help you drop pounds and maintain a healthy weight.