Slow chewing links ancient beliefs with modern science
Spending more time chewing food can aid in digestion and also help with weight loss
The importance of chewing slowly has long been known by advocates of ayurveda , a natural system of medicine that originated in India thousands of years ago .
One of ayurveda ’ s golden rules of eating is to chew each bite of food 32 times . Doing so encourages you to eat more slowly and mindfully , which in turn relieves stress and helps with the digestion of food .
“ Ayurveda is concerned mainly with what goes into the body and what comes out ,” said Jey Thevan , founder of the Samkkya Healthcare Group in Kuala Lumpur .
“ When you make sure that the whole process of digestion , starting from what happens in the mouth , is done right , your body will thank you ,” Thevan , who operates integrated ayurvedic clinics in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka , told Global Health Asia-Pacific . “ If the food is properly broken down through chewing , it ’ s easier to digest , and the stool will be soft and wellformed .”
Conventional medicine concurs with ayurveda ’ s ancient traditions . Research suggests that slow chewing has a role in better digestion because doing so allows the digestive process to begin in the mouth .
“ When we eat something , we start to break down the food in the mouth . When we chew slowly , it ’ s broken down better , and then when it reaches the stomach , the stomach is able to easily digest the food . That will lead to better absorption of nutrients ,” said Dr Sandev Singh , a consultant gastroenterologist and herpetologist at Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara in Kuala Lumpur , to Global Health Asia-Pacific .
“ When you chew slowly , the food will then be able to mix in with all the enzymes in our saliva , which also helps with digestion . When you chew too fast , the body will probably lack the opportunity to get food mixed up with the good enzymes in the saliva ,” he added .
Some early research suggests that people who chew slowly tend to be of a leaner size . A 2013 study found that meal sizes shrank when adults were asked to chew for longer before swallowing . This was the case in most of the subjects , regardless of their weight .
Researchers found people ate about 10 percent less food , corresponding to 70 fewer calories , when they increased their chewing by 50 percent . When they doubled their chewing , they ate 15 percent less food and consumed 112 fewer calories .
“ We don ’ t really know why that is , but we do know that when someone eats , the digestive system hormones send signals to the brain to tell it that you have eaten ,” said Dr Singh .
This process usually takes 15-20 minutes to happen . During eating , the body produces a hormone called ghrelin , which suppresses appetite by telling the brain that the gut is full through an interconnecting link called the gut-brain axis .
“ You can imagine that if you ’ re eating too quickly , the gut system is unable to send signals in time for this to happen . People who eat faster will probably eat more than what they need , and indirectly consume more calories as well and put on more weight ,” Dr Singh added .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com JUNE 2021
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