What’s your eating style? Do you rush through a meal eager to finish or do you eat leisurely, slowing down to taste each mouthful and appreciate the flavor and texture of what you’re eating? You may not be consciously aware of how you eat but it matters. How you eat, especially how you chew your food, impacts satiety and, indirectly, your weight.
Chewing and Its Impact on Satiety and Weight
Would you believe the average person chews their food only 12 to 14 times before swallowing it? That’s not a good thing if you’re trying to control your weight. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at the impact of chewing on satiety and gut hormones in men of normal weight and obese men and made some interesting observations.
In this study, both obese and normal-weight men took similar bite sizes, but the obese participants chewed their food less than those of normal weight – and this had an impact on how much food they ate at a meal. Participants who took the leisurely eating approach and chewed their food 40 times ate 12% less food than those who chewed each bite only 15 times. Twelve percent less food at every meal adds up!
In this same study, researchers looked at the impact chewing had on hormones that control satiety. Specifically, they looked at levels of cholecystokinin (CCK), GLP-1 and ghrelin, three hormones important for controlling satiety. CCK and GLP-1 were higher in those who chewed longer and ghrelin levels were lower. Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach that stimulates appetite, so lower ghrelin levels suppress the desire to eat. Higher CCK and GLP-1 levels also turn off appetite.
The take-home message? Something as simple as chewing your food longer can help you be satisfied with less food.
Another interesting thing from the University of Rhode Island found that people who eat slowly take in about 2 ounces of food every 60 seconds while fast eaters eat about 3.1 ounces of food per minute. That’s a significant difference. It takes about 20 minutes for satiety hormones to kick in, so the slow eaters will have eaten 40 ounces of food over 20 minutes while the more aggressive eaters would eat more than 60 ounces.
Other Reasons to Slow Down the Pace of a Meal
There are other health benefits to eating more slowly. Enzymes in your mouth called lipases and amylases begin the digestive process by breaking down fats and carbohydrates respectively. When you don’t stop to chew your food, these enzymes don’t get a chance to begin breaking down your food. That affects digestion. If you suffer from indigestion frequently after a meal, you may be eating too fast.
There’s another benefit to chewing slowly. A leisurely eating pace makes you more aware of the flavor and texture of what you’re eating and makes you a more mindful eater. When you eat consciously, really tasting your food, smaller amounts of food become more satisfying. This can change your entire approach to eating, making you less likely to mindlessly nibble without tasting what you’re eating. In some countries, meals last for several hours, and these countries have a lower obesity rate than the United States where people eat their meals and snacks in a fast and furious manner.
How to Get the Benefits
Become aware of how many times you chew your food when you eat. Once you know this, you can consciously increase the number of times you chew each bite until it becomes second nature to you. Focus on the taste and texture of what you’re eating and devote mealtime only to eating. Never eat in front of a television or computer screen or read a book during a meal. Research shows people eat more when they eat while doing something else – even listening to music. Schedule at least 30 minutes to eat a meal whenever possible, and don’t eat on the run or in your car.
The Bottom Line?
It’s not just what you eat – it’s how you eat it. Train yourself to chew your food longer and eat more mindfully – and don’t eat when you’re doing something else. It’s a small thing that can make a difference in how many calories you take in at mealtime.
References:
Am J Clin Nutr August 2011 ajcn.015164.
USA Today. “Eating Slowly May Help You Lose Weight”
Oldham-Cooper RE, Hardman CA, Nicoll CE, Rogers PJ, & Brunstrom JM (2011). “Playing a computer game during lunch affects fullness, memory for lunch, and later snack intake.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 93 (2), 308-13 PMID: 21147857.
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