Seven minute abs, seven minutes in heaven, seven minutes — seven minutes to eat an entire meal, including dessert. Sound absolutely absurd? It should.

That's how long it takes the average American (including us here at MSU) to down a meal and that tasty snack afterward.

Constant shuffling between classes, studying and partying can damage those balanced eating habits we once had long ago when we lived with our parents. We become so busy that we don't even realize if we've eaten, what we've eaten and, possibly, if we've eaten two or three times as much food as we need.

Eating at restaurants, especially ones that market "time crunch lunch," are begging for you to eat too much, too fast. And with ridiculously large portions, it's not hard.

The problem here is you eat too much when you eat fast, adding extra calories to your diet — and probably more fatty, calorie-packed foods, which can lead to high cholesterol, weight gain and stress.

It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to realize it's full and relay the message to your brain.

Eating slowly will give your stomach time to digest and recognize that it's satisfied before you eat more than you need.

Mealtimes are great times to socialize. Park your fork and talk to your friends.

As a former cafeteria socialite, I know how great the socializing circuit can be in the dorms. Paying attention to your friends not only strengthens your bonds but helps move you to the slow lane of the eating highway.

Similar to studying, if you aren't concentrating at the task at hand, you are less likely to acknowledge what you are doing and what you are putting in your mouth.

Eating is a time when you can block everything else out and just relax. There's no professors telling you how to solve that logarithm or how to write a paper. It's your time.

Sitting down away from a computer or TV is a great way to train your body that this is a time you can relax without worrying about the outside world. Distractions lead to eating faster and mindlessly overeating.

Drinking low-fat milk or water during meals will help your body — through rehydration and refueling — start feeling more satisfied.

Next time you head to the dinner table, bring a stopwatch, cell phone or watch to time yourself. See how fast — or slow — you take in your meal and adjust your eating patterns.

Converse, savor and enjoy!

Melanie Thomas is the State News health reporter and writes about your body every Thursday in the lowdown. Reach her at thoma450@msu.edu.