It’s common sense that eating slowly and mindfully will help a person lose weight and allow more time for the body to feel full. But the same also applies to eating crunchy food.
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition people eat half as fast when they have to chew more leading to eating 20% less.
Researchers from the Wageningen University in Netherlands found that people who had crunchier meals in a study conducted by two groups consumed 26% less calories no matter how processed the food was.
What about Crunchy food
Crunchy food include things like salad, chicken breast, apples and nuts.
This is mainly because people had to chew more before swallowing.
The study research believes that the slower a person eats, the better the body can keep track of the amount of food consumed so people will feel full faster and stop eating.
Author of the study and professor Ciara’s Forde said, “We now have more than a decade of evidence that people choosing textures which encourage them to eat more slowly, like crunchier, harder or chewier foods, can help to consume fewer calories, while still feeling equally satisfied.”
“What is appealing in using meal textures to change behaviour and intake is that people can still enjoy eating the foods they like, while reducing the risk of over-consumption. It means people can still enjoy a meal and eat until comfortably full, without having to feel restricted.”
The study advocates more chewing which slows down the pace of eating and therefore impacts calorie intake.
Eating Less
The authors suggest eating more slowly in order to enhance the body’s ability to monitor food intake, leading to feeling full more quickly and eating less.
The other thing that may make you eat more is when you eat in a noisy environment.
Scientists at the University of Colorado say the noise you make when you eat plays a major in how much you consume.
Dr Ryan Elder who co authored the report says, “When you mask the sound of [eating], like when you watch TV while eating, you take away one of those senses and it may cause you to eat more than your normally would. The effects may not seem huge – one less pretzel – but over the course of a week, month or year, it could really add up,” he said.
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