Chewing your food 40 times helps to reduce weight..........n

ninerbuff
ninerbuff Posts: 49,050 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
The latest research involved 16 lean and 14 obese young men. After a 12-hour fast, the volunteers came to the laboratory to eat a typical Chinese breakfast— pork pie, not Cocoa Puffs — while a video camera recorded how frequently they chewed each bite. All of the men were given the same portion and told they could ask for more.

The scientists theorized that the obese men would chew less per bite and, indeed, they were right. And while the size of their bites was similar to that of the lean men, the obese men ended up consuming more calories.

So the researchers, who were from Harbin Medical University, tried another experiment. They brought the men back to the lab and served up pork pie again for breakfast, as much as the men cared to eat. But one day they asked the men to chew each bite 15 times, while another day they asked them to chew 40 times.

Didn’t matter whether the men were obese or lean: They consumed about 12 percent fewer calories when they chewed each bite 40 times than when they chewed 15 times, and they had lower levels of ghrelin, the so-called hunger hormone produced in the stomach.

Replies

  • slainger
    slainger Posts: 150 Member
    interesting!
  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
    Because chewing so much makes a person sick of eating and start considering the juice diet.
  • Ashonym
    Ashonym Posts: 172 Member
    Awesome research. I've never bothered counting my chews until MFP and even now I occasionally forget to. It's surprisingly not THAT easy to do so whenever you're so used to the chew chew swallo ratio.

    Thanks for posting this! I HAVE noticed chewing more helps! I hear it takes 20 minutes to get an effect from your meals anyhow, and this certainly also helps get you there...
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,050 Member
    bump
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
    Chewing your food thoroughly helps your brain tell you you're full, and appreciate your food so you don't need more :) I'm not surprised!
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    Chewing your food 40 times makes your jaw tired and you quickly give up eating... and life in general.
  • Kate6868
    Kate6868 Posts: 159 Member
    I've read that before. I wish I could chew eat bite thoroughly (rather than inhaling my food), but my ADHD kicks in and completely forget after a couple of bites. Oh, well...
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    And apparently it is recommended that we chew food until it is impossible to determine what food it is by the texture, as this helps with digestion and the absorption of nutrients. I have heard that insufficient chewing results in significant loss of nutrient absorption. Having said that I am hopeless at following that advice!
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    Chewing your food 40 times makes your jaw tired and you quickly give up eating... and life in general.


    LOL

    In all seriousness though, I've heard chewing more was good for you... this is just more reason to try to do it more often!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,050 Member
    Food that's more broken down is easier to digest too. I've noticed it with dried mangoes. If I inhale them, any leftovers come back out unchewed........I know gross.
  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    I don't count how many times i chew but i've definitely started chewing a lot more and making sure i thoroughly chew my food before swallowing..
    I've always been real bad about fast eating..i blame it on growing up in a big family lol.
  • FaithsVegWorkout
    FaithsVegWorkout Posts: 471
    I've tried that before, but I have TMJ, so it isn't great for me to chew that much. I just try to eat slow/take breaks.
  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
    Chop sticks help - it's dang near impossible to shovel food into your mouth using them.
  • Penny_Wren
    Penny_Wren Posts: 18 Member
    I'm actually doing this right now and my jaw is ready to give up. Mange tout and brown rice. Not easy to get through!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,050 Member
    I can promise that I didn't chew 40 times over the holidays. Food was chewed maybe 4 times then swallowed!


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Boring2Fit
    Boring2Fit Posts: 182
    Interesting :) I heard about that too.

    We're exercising our jaw :P
  • weaverfit
    weaverfit Posts: 124
    I'm trying to practice the extra chewing philosophy now... and also moving the food all around in my mouth. There are different types of taste buds all over your mouth and if you only chew on one side - munch-munch-swallow - then those taste buds never get stimulated, leading (IMO) to cravings, even right after a meal.

    Smaller bowls, plates, and spoons seems to help too.
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