Big bites help you lose weight

Chewing less may actually help prevent you from piling on the pounds, a New Zealand study has found

Eisha Sarkar

Posted On Thursday, April 22, 2010   

Chewing your food well may be good for you but not if you're trying to lose weight. Research shows that taking bigger bites and chewing less was better for people wanting to put off those pounds.

Scientists from Lincoln's Plant & Food Research, Christchurch, New Zealand, have been on a six-year mission to discover what foods make us feel satisfied and how best to eat them.

Marco Morgenstern, team leader food structure engineering said that taking bigger bites and chewing less was better for people watching their weight as the food was broken down more slowly in the stomach.

This meant people felt fuller for longer and the slow release of energy could be burnt off over time.

However, sportspersons need the quick energy hit from partially digesting food in the mouth, so they would be better off eating softer foods and chewing for longer.

"The way people chew the food depends more on the food's properties, not the individual, so you can design food which people won't chew much and (food they) will chew a lot," Morgenstern is reported to have said.

The research team had tested 3,000 foods for their effect on blood glucose levels, reflecting how quickly they released energy into the body.

The team findings included the benefits of eating whole-oat muesli and wholegrain bread which made people feel satisfied for longer. Pasta was also found to have slow-release energy.

Fad diets that encourage people to stop eating carbohydrates are unhealthy. About half of a person's food energy intake should be carbohydrates, the key is knowing which ones to eat and when, the researchers are reported to have said.

The research team has created an online diet programme called Aspire for Life which has been clinically tested at Otago University.

Aspire for Life's 10 weight-loss tips

  1. Do it for yourself. You will have greater long-term success if you change your lifestyle and diet because YOU want to lose weight, not because your partner or GP says you need to do it.
  2. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits.
  3. Move. Physical activity has many benefits – it burns energy, lifts your mood and keeps your body strong
  4. Get a good night’s sleep. If you consistently struggle to get a good night’s sleep, efforts to improve your sleep - such a limiting your evening caffeine and alcohol intake, avoiding large meals before bed, and having a consistent bedtime routine – may help you manage your weight.
  5. Eat a healthy breakfast.
  6. Keep a food diary. People who are successful at weight loss, regularly monitor what, when and how much they eat. The most important thing is that you write the food down as you eat it so you accurately remember what you’ve had.
  7. Pull back on portions. Use smaller plates, bowls and cups. Cook smaller meals. Buy single serve portions instead of bulk bags. Get used to having a little less on your plate. People can often eat 20% less (or 20% more) without even noticing it.
  8. Turn off the TV. People who watch more television, tend to weigh more. Likewise people who’ve successfully lost significant amounts of weight, tend to watch less than 10 hours of television a week.
  9. Fossick for fat. Cut back on the added fats, oils and fatty foods (such as fried foods, chips, biscuits, and chocolate) in your diet to reduce kilojoules. Enjoy small amounts of nuts and seeds for their healthy fats and vitamin E.
  10. Eat your calories, don’t drink them. Kilojoule-laden drinks like fizzy drink, sports drinks, juices, full-fat milk based coffee drinks and alcohol can easily pack on the kilograms without satisfying your hunger. Water is always the best beverage choice. Other low-kilojoule options include teas (herbal, green or black), black coffee, clear broth soups, soda water and sugar-free drinks in moderation. 

Pic: Robert Müller



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