Should You Really Chew Your Food 32 Times?

You probably don't give much thought to chewing your food. For most of us it's second-nature, and once you put food in your mouth chewing it is likely as automatic as breathing. Paying more attention to the way you chew, however, especially how long and how thoroughly you chew, may be a simple way to improve your health. People who are obese, for instance, tend to chew less (and for shorter periods) than those who are a normal weight. Research also shows that increasing the number of chews before swallowing reduces meal size by up to nearly 15 percent, which researchers believe might be an effective strategy to help with weight management. "Eating slowly contributes to a lower risk of obesity, probably because it could aid appetite control. Chewing thoroughly is an effective strategy to reduce eating rate … ," the researchers explained in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Yet, chewing slowly is useful for far more than just weight management.