Chewing your food thoroughly is very, very good for your health.  It aids digestion and allows you to naturally limit your portion size.  And, YES: there is a scientific explanation to the claim that if you chew your food more, the likelihood that you will lose weight increases.

Your body has nerve endings.  Nerve endings communicate with your brain through synapses, or electric pulses that travel your nervous system to your brain.  Sometimes, it takes a while for the nerve endings in your stomach to communicate with your brain to tell it that “there is food in my and I’m getting full – or, the physical capacity of the stomach is reaching the “full” point.”

Hey, Brain – I’m full.  Quit Eating!

One way to help your stomach communicate with your brain is to give it time by chewing each bite.  The more you chew each bite, you allow your stomach time to tell your brain that it is getting full.

Chewing is the first step in the digestive process. Saliva starts to break down the food and prepare it for the stomach. If you bypass chewing, your digestive efficiency is impaired.

Indeed, there’s an inverse relationship between how many chews you have with each bite and weight gain as you can see below:

The chart above shows the (# of chews per bite) versus (# of over weight pounds).  The inverse relationship is this: the more you chew each bite of food, the less likely you’ll be over weight.  The opposite is also true: If you swallow and not chew your food (“inhale your food”), then you will likely be over weight.

How Many Times Should You Chew Before Swallowing?

There’s no rule except: the food item should be chewed to a “pulpy” texture before swallowing.  This allows for much easier swallowing and also allows your mouth and stomach to release enzymes to break down the food for easier digestion and also for aiding in communication to the brain that you are getting full.

The Length of a Meal

By eating slowly, you give your stomach the best chance for good digestion. For several reasons, a meal should take at least 15 minutes. Twenty minutes or longer is better yet.

It takes about 15 minutes from the time when you begin eating for your stomach to signal the brain that it has had enough food and that it is satisfied and comfortable. Your mouth can consume food faster than your stomach can register that you have eaten it.

If you eat quickly, you are more likely to overeat, easily reaching 6 or higher on the 0-10 scale. It is difficult to eat beautifully and sensuously in less than 15 minutes.

Your mother’s advice rings true with weight loss and the wonderslim life of a skinny person:

Do Not Inhale Your Food