People have been advising others to chew their food well for a long, long time. In Ayurveda, a school of medicine founded in India some 7,000 years ago, slow and thorough chewing is considered essential to strong digestive health, helping to separate a food’s indigestible components from necessary nutrients.
People also flocked to the notion—some, fanatically—in the U.S. During the early 1900s, a self-proclaimed “economic nutritionist” named Horace Fletcher recommended chewing each bite to the point of liquefaction, then involuntary swallowing. “Fletcher was an efficiency buff, and was all about extracting the most from the least,” says science writer Mary Roach, author of Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. “He wasn’t about 30 chews or something mild—he was talking about hundreds of chews per bite.”
Fletcher, who was not a doctor, believed that all that chewing helped the body get the most out of food. “His claim was basically that you could give the poor half the food, and if they chewed it more thoroughly they’d get more nutrients out of it,” Roach says. But her research didn’t turn up much evidence to back Fletcher’s theories. “Your stomach does a really good job of breaking down food and absorbing nutrients,” she says.
Eating more slowly while upping your chew count does not seem to make much of a difference, nutritionally speaking. But research suggests it may help control your appetite and weight gain.
Some preliminary research has found that chewing until “no lumps remain” increases the number of calories the body burns during digestion: about 10 extra calories for a 300-calorie meal. (Eating fast, on the other hand, barely burns any calories.) Chewing food more thoroughly also increases blood flow to the stomach and gut. By taking a little extra time for chewing, someone could theoretically burn about 2,000 extra calories each month, the study authors write.
People with obesity tend to chew their food less than lean people do, even when they eat the same thing and take bites of the same size, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. When the research team asked everyone to chew each bite 40 times, the lean and obese people in the study both ate less. When they chewed their food a little more than usual, their levels of gut hormones related to hunger and satiety also improved. “Improving chewing activity could become a useful tool for combating obesity,” the study authors concluded.
Extra chewing also slows the pace of eating, which may be another reason why it’s so healthy. Meena Shah, a professor of nutrition at Texas Christian University, has looked into the effects of eating speed on meal size. She found that people who eat slowly tend to eat less. Slow eating may help people eat more mindfully and tune into their own feelings of fullness, she says.
It may also help with weight maintenance. Another research team tracked a group of people for eight years, and found those who ate slowly gained less weight during the study period than fast eaters. Those results held regardless of a person’s BMI, drinking habits or exercise frequency. Fast eating, on the other hand, has been linked to a 35% increase in a person’s risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health problems that includes high blood pressure and blood sugar, poor cholesterol numbers and excess abdominal fat.
It’s tough to say if a person’s pace of eating and rate of chewing are solely responsible for these body weight benefits, and scientists have yet to discover the ideal number of chews per bite. But taking some extra time to chew your food—especially if you’re the type who always finishes dinner first—appears to be a good idea.
FAQs
Chewing food more thoroughly also increases blood flow to the stomach and gut. By taking a little extra time for chewing, someone could theoretically burn about 2,000 extra calories each month, the study authors write.
Why does eating slow help you lose weight? ›
Eating slowly helps you eat less
These hormones tell your brain that you have eaten, reducing appetite, making you feel full, and helping you stop eating. This process takes about 20 minutes, so slowing down gives your brain the time it needs to receive these signals.
Are slow eaters healthier? ›
The benefits of slow eating include better digestion, better hydration, easier weight loss or maintenance, and greater satisfaction with our meals. Meanwhile, eating quickly leads to poor digestion, increased weight gain, and lower satisfaction.
What is the 2 2 2 method metabolism? ›
Smith says the first 2 is for two different types of meals: fatty meals and carb-heavy meals. The second 2 represents non-food related aspects like weekly weigh-ins and introspective journaling, while the third 2 represents exercise consisting of bodyweight and/or high intensity interval workouts.
Why do short people burn less calories? ›
More lean muscle means higher BMR and faster weight loss. Besides, short people also have less muscle as compared to taller people. Both of these factors make it difficult for short people to shed kilos faster than those who are taller.
Why are slow eaters slim? ›
Slow eating may help people eat more mindfully and tune into their own feelings of fullness, she says. It may also help with weight maintenance. Another research team tracked a group of people for eight years, and found those who ate slowly gained less weight during the study period than fast eaters.
What is the 20 minute rule for eating? ›
It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. Leisurely eating allows ample time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. And feeling full translates into eating less.
What are the disadvantages of slow foods? ›
Farmers have to be highly skilled and tentative to their crops; in other words, it takes more time and uses more money. The food may have a more robust taste and healthier initiatives, but it may also empty our pockets when trying to feed even a small family of three.
What is the personality of a slow eater? ›
They enjoy the social aspect of eating with others. Slow eaters may be more patient and thoughtful in other areas of their life. They may also be more aware of their emotions and better able to manage stress and anxiety.
What happens when you eat too fast on an empty stomach? ›
Some of the short term effects include excessive bloating, elevated blood pressure, increased blood sugar levels and decreased nutrients to the body. Long-term effects include increased chances for obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and gastritis.
Here are seven simple ways to increase your metabolism.
- Include good quality protein in your diet. ...
- Nourish your gut microbiome. ...
- Swap ultra-processed food for whole foods. ...
- Get your caffeine fix. ...
- Go to bed earlier. ...
- Exercise. ...
- Don't lose weight too fast.
They are:
- Catabolism – the breakdown of food components (such as carbohydrates, proteins and dietary fats) into their simpler forms, which can then be used to provide energy and the basic building blocks needed for growth and repair.
- Anabolism – the part of metabolism in which our body is built or repaired.
Phase 2 is the high-protein, high-vegetable, low-carbohydrate, and low-fat phase of the Fast Metabolism Diet. It features high-nutrient cruciferous vegetables and lots of lean protein. Like Phase 1, Phase 2 includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus two snacks.
Do thinner people burn less calories? ›
At a lower body weight, you burn fewer calories, and so the amount of energy, or calories, you once required decreases. That means you need to consume fewer and fewer calories to continue losing weight.
What burns the most calories? ›
According to Healthline, running burns the most calories. A tried and true exercise that requires little more than your legs and the open road, running burns just over 800 calories for a 155-pound adult per hour.
Why is it harder for skinny people to lose weight? ›
Smaller bodies burn fewer calories, so when you lose weight (especially if you're losing muscle mass), your metabolism drops. Research shows that for each pound of body weight lost, most people need to consume approximately 44 to 66 fewer calories per day.
Is it better to lose weight fast or slow? ›
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, aim to lose it at a slow but steady rate of 1–2 pounds (0.45–0.9 kg) per week. Research shows that slow, steady weight loss is easier to maintain long-term because it's better for developing healthy eating behaviors, and is much safer than very fast weight loss.
What happens if you eat too fast? ›
Leisurely eating is better for your health, especially when it comes to digestion, weight and nutrition. When you eat too fast, you swallow more air, which can cause bloating and gas. Slowing down to properly chew your food helps to break down larger particles of food into smaller ones, aiding digestion.
What happens when you chew your food slowly? ›
Chewing helps to signal the beginning of the digestive process. As your body releases saliva to help break down food, it also relaxes the stomach ahead of digestion to allow food and nutrients to pass through more easily. Chewing food slowly gives the stomach enough time to signal the brain for satiety.
Does eating faster help you lose weight? ›
One recent review of 23 studies found that fast eaters were approximately twice as likely to be obese, compared with slow eaters ( 9 ). Fast eating is associated with excess body weight. In fact, fast eaters may be up to twice as likely to be obese compared with those who eat slowly.
