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Cut Calories With Better Chewing
Gobblers and Gulpers May Discover Mom Was Right
By HEIDI MITCHELL
Nov. 18, 2013
Over the holidays, Americans will undoubtedly overindulge, gulping down their first plateful and racing back for seconds. But is there an optimal way to masticate? One expert, Klaus Bielefeldt, director of the Neurogastroenterology & Motility Center at the University of Pittsburgh, chews on the subject.
Break It Down
Digestion starts in the mouth, says Dr. Bielefeldt, and chewing initiates the process. "Mechanically, chewing breaks down the food into tiny pieces so that it is easier to digest," he says. "Chemically, chewing releases saliva, a lubricant that helps food to slide down the esophagus and begin the breakdown of carbohydrates with the help of the enzyme amylase." The longer you chew, the more fragmented food particles become, which eases the digestive process in the gut and stomach. "And you won't swallow a whole toothpick that someone left in the turkey, which I've seen," says Dr. Bielefeldt.
Count to 10
In the late 19th century, diet-guru and cereal pioneer John Harvey Kellogg, the man who invented cereal, argued that 35 chews per bite were ideal. His contemporary, Horace Fletcher, came to a similar conclusion: One should chew a bite 32 times—or once per tooth. But neither estimate was based on data. "I don't know where they got their ideas, but if you do the simple math, you will find that your food will be cold before you're finished," notes Dr. Bielefeldt, who studies the way food is processed through the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Bielefeldt says the optimal chew-per-typical-bite ratio is uncertain, but he estimates around 10.
Cut Calories
The body wants to absorb every calorie it ingests, so large pieces of unfragmented food will sit in the gut and ferment until their nutrients can be absorbed. Chewing longer may limit the volume of fermenting food left behind, lowering the fermenting gas in the colon—which could result in less bloating. Additionally, says Dr. Bielefeldt, chewing more slows down the eating process, giving our brain time to register that it is full. "The thermostat in our body that measures whether or not the glucose is high enough will give us a sense of when we're done, but it comes with a delay," he says. "That is why the big gulper is at risk for obesity. Satiety kicks in long before the brain knows, so he keeps eating." Some strategies he recommends, especially for the holidays: Put down the fork between bites, take a smaller plateful of food, avoid going back for seconds until the last person is done and take breaks between courses.
Pleasure Principle
Part of the enjoyment of the Thanksgiving meal is conversation and community, says Dr. Bielefeldt. Chewing slower and longer gives diners the most pleasure not only by lengthening the entertaining meal, says the doctor, but also because it allows a person to properly taste the sweetness in the starch as it breaks down in the mouth and to smell the delicious fragrances of each bite—all of which help to increase happiness and satisfaction. "If you are a big gulper, much of the flavor is lost. If you just put food into your mouth then into the esophagus, you get no joy."
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