Does “chew slowly” really work? My coworker recently lost all her belly pudge, and I never once saw her skimping on food. I’m trying to lose about 30 pounds myself, so I asked how she did it. She said that she just chews each bite of food about 20 times. Sounds too easy—could that really work?
Yes, it can! Women who chew thoroughly, giving the brain time to register satiety, eat at least 70 fewer calories per meal than when they munch at their usual hurried pace, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This can translate into a loss of four pounds a week! Slow chewing also saturates food with saliva’s enzymes, so it’s better digested. And this prevents poorly digested food from stagnating in the gut, releasing toxins that trigger cravings and signal the body to store more fat. To slim quickly, simply chew each bite 20 to 30 times. When that’s awkward to do (like at a holiday party), take an enzyme supplement to aid in the digestion of food. I like Solaray Super Digestaway at health-food stores.
