To my observation, chewing is out of fashion. It's true! Want proof? Share a meal with some friends and see how long it takes them to finish their meal. More importantly, take a scan while the food is fresh on their plates and notice how many of them give a mouthful 1, 2, maybe 3 chomps before swallowing. For real.
The other day I caught a report on MPR of a recent study on almond consumption and weight loss. Essentially, the more almonds one eats the more weight they lose. They concluded that almonds are high in protein, fiber and fat, which increases overall satiety (feeling full) and reduces the calories consumed throughout the course of the day, thereby promoting weight loss. What the researches also concluded, is what drew my attention: the failure of the participants to chew their almonds resulted in their inability to completely break down their snack, so they inevitably did not absorb all the calories available therein.*
I literally laughed out loud when I heard this. It was the first time I heard a researcher credit not chewing food with weight loss. Don't they know that by reporting this, it will encourage folks to quit chewing their food?!
Let me give you 3 good reasons why you want to slow down mealtime and chew your food thoroughly:
Moral of the story:
Don't listen to researchers.
Just kidding! The moral of the story is slow down and chew your food!
*This intent of this article is not to encourage you not to chew your food in order to lose weight.
The other day I caught a report on MPR of a recent study on almond consumption and weight loss. Essentially, the more almonds one eats the more weight they lose. They concluded that almonds are high in protein, fiber and fat, which increases overall satiety (feeling full) and reduces the calories consumed throughout the course of the day, thereby promoting weight loss. What the researches also concluded, is what drew my attention: the failure of the participants to chew their almonds resulted in their inability to completely break down their snack, so they inevitably did not absorb all the calories available therein.*
I literally laughed out loud when I heard this. It was the first time I heard a researcher credit not chewing food with weight loss. Don't they know that by reporting this, it will encourage folks to quit chewing their food?!
Let me give you 3 good reasons why you want to slow down mealtime and chew your food thoroughly:
- Chewing your food increases satiety. You will eat less in one sitting if you chew your food well. So not only can chewing promote weight loss, but you will also absorb more nutrients and enjoy the flavor of your food more too. (Take that European Journal of Clinical Nutrition!)
- Your digestive tract relies on your teeth to manually break down your food by chewing it. When you don't chew your food or when you chew inadequately, you are passing the puck to your stomach. When your stomach has complex food particles to break down, it takes longer for it to empty. This is a big deal for those of us who suffer from acid reflux or heartburn. The better you chew, the less likely you are to experience heartburn.
- Do you get bloated by the end of the day? When you swallow poorly chewed food it moves more slowly through your digestive tract. And the bacteria in your gut love that. Slow motility means they have all the time in the world to digest (ferment) undigested food matter. Do you know what the by-product of fermentation is? Gas.
Moral of the story:
Don't listen to researchers.
Just kidding! The moral of the story is slow down and chew your food!
*This intent of this article is not to encourage you not to chew your food in order to lose weight.