Will a "Smart Fork" Help You Eat Smarter?

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Apr 27, 2013

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If you find your meals are usually over and done with before your dinner date can place a napkin on their lap you may want to save a little room in your purse for the HapiFork. The “smart fork” helps eaters track each and every bite by sending data to your smartphone and it also will give the overzealous that little nudge to slow down and enjoy the flavors.

CNN reports about the Hapifork and how it can be used to teach healthier eating habits. Those who eat too quick are also at risk for overeating which can lead to a number of health problems including obesity. It takes roughly 20 minutes for your brain to recognize you are full after you have begun eating. If you eat an entire meal in 5 minutes and then go for seconds, you haven’t given your body time enough to give you the signal that you’ve had enough.

The HapiFork tracks the amount of bites you are taking and will actually vibrate when you are eating too fast. If you take your second bite less than 10 seconds after your first, the fork gives off a little vibration to let you know it’s time to slow down. The timing of this can be set by the user so it doesn’t necessarily have to be 10 seconds between bites.

CNN’s Heather Kelly tested the fork and admits the vibrations the fork gave off when she attempted to shovel in her lunch a little too quickly was slightly uncomfortable on her teeth, leading her to eat at a slower pace.

The HapiFork is still being tested and is set to be available on the market soon. In the meantime, HapiLabs has gathered some interesting data about the way we eat. We take an average of 70 bites per meal and we start eating fast and then slow down as the meal progresses. People usually eat rice a lot faster than pasta probably because of how long it takes to twirl spaghetti strands on a fork.

What do you think of the idea of a “smart fork” that tracks the amount of bites you take and guides an eater to slow down when eating too fast?

Do you think this can be a helpful tool for people who want to be more mindful of their eating habits?