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Want to reduce weight or diabetes risk? Chew slowly!
This is science speaking, even though it sounds a bit like something our
mothers might say! A study of 1,083
Japanese men and women comparing fast, normal, and slow eaters was presented at
the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in 2017. [1] The study found that fast eaters had:
-
5 times more new-onset metabolic syndrome than slow eaters
- increased waist circumference and overall weight
- higher blood glucose levels
- lower levels of good HDL cholesterol
Also, the fast eaters in the study reported eating dinner 2 hours
before sleeping and snacking after dinner, both high-risk habits for weight
gain. Previous studies have confirmed these
findings, so this isn’t new news. When
we spend more time chewing our food, we feel satisfied sooner – the stomach
takes about 20 minutes to get a message to the brain that we’re full.
My recommendation:
Chewing our food slowly is definitely a good idea for both weight
management and overall health. It’s also
a good idea not to drink your calories, and there are at least two reasons for this:
-
Chewing is an important first stage of the digestion process, so it also benefits gut health
- Concentrated liquid calories like smoothies and juice can be a weight and blood sugar trap, even when made from whole foods
Eating a whole food Mediterranean-style diet with plenty of vegetables,
fruit, beans, nuts, whole grains, and unprocessed meat naturally requires more
chewing. On the other hand, the more
foods are processed, the smaller their particle size, and the faster we can eat
them. To read about other reasons to
avoid processed food and liquid calories, see pages 9 and 74-75 in Good Food, Great Medicine, 3rd
edition.
Miles
Hassell MD
