**The Wisdom of Chewing Slowly: From Savoring to Controlling Appetite**

**

Surveys of obese people show that most of them have a habit of eating very quickly. I often advise patients who come to weight loss centers to cultivate the habit of chewing slowly, but some people just can't break this bad habit.

In fact, no one is born eating very fast; it's just that people develop the habit of eating quickly by constantly repeating the same actions.

Eating quickly naturally leads to overeating. Eating quickly also results in a strong feeling of fullness after a while. Soaking noodles for a long time causes them to expand, and the food entering the stomach and intestines also gradually expands. During digestion, food mixes with water, saliva, and digestive juices, causing significant volume expansion. Generally, the abdomen gradually expands after a meal, so overeating will lead to a severe feeling of fullness. Only by chewing slowly and thoroughly can one prevent overeating.

I think most people have had this experience. While eating, you suddenly receive a call from a friend, chat for a while, and then sit back down at the table. In this situation, you often lose your appetite. Similarly, after finishing a packet of ramen, just as you're about to cook another, if you get a call, you also lose your appetite, and even if you do eat it, it won't taste as good as the first packet. This isn't a problem with us, but rather a phenomenon caused by our physiological processes.

The hypothalamus lies at the base of the human brain. Normally, the hypothalamus receives signals of satiety and hunger, which then regulate eating behavior. It takes a certain amount of time from the start of eating until the hypothalamus receives the satiety signal. Food entering the abdomen through the mouth is broken down into glucose. If the blood absorbs glucose, blood sugar levels increase. If blood sugar drops, one feels weak and easily feels hungry. Replenishing blood sugar through food produces energy and a feeling of fullness. Normally, it takes 10-20 minutes for blood sugar to rise and for the feeling of fullness to develop. If the satiety signal is not transmitted in time, the body does not feel full, leading to the consumption of large amounts of food. If this habit is maintained long-term, food intake and gastrointestinal capacity will increase, easily leading to hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. This phenomenon goes beyond personality or habitual tendencies and can easily lead to digestive diseases, obesity, and diabetes.

If you savor the flavors of your food while eating, you won't feel hungry even if you eat very little. To control your food intake, you should cultivate the habit of chewing slowly and thoroughly. So, how can we control our food intake? How can we chew slowly and thoroughly? Ignoring this part won't cause any changes in our bodies, but putting the following into practice will definitely bring about significant changes in our lives and health.

Some people want to lose weight, but they can't bear to give up the joy of eating. If they are asked to give up the joy of eating, some will cry and make a fuss, and some will throw a tantrum. The joy of eating is the most primal, basic, and natural pleasure; therefore, giving up eating in order to lose weight is tantamount to depriving others of this joy.

First, we need to deeply understand the joy of eating. Is happiness simply about being full, or is it about appreciating the flavor of the food? If you're hungry, perhaps filling your stomach is the only source of happiness. Some people mistakenly believe that eating well means being full, but on the contrary, eating well means eating delicious food.

For those struggling with weight loss, it's time to change your understanding of "eating well." Do you prefer restaurants that offer large portions and free rice, or places where the food tastes delicious? If you still equate happiness with simply filling your stomach, you should change that mindset immediately. True happiness comes from enjoying the taste of food.

Changing your mindset can change your actions. To fully enjoy the pleasure of eating, you should chew slowly and thoroughly. Taste is experienced through the taste buds, not the stomach. If you swallow food before your taste buds have tasted it, your tongue will feel empty and helpless. Any organ that cannot fulfill its function will be under stress. If this state persists for a long time, the tongue will lose its sense of taste and be unable to correctly distinguish the five flavors. If you cannot distinguish sweetness, you will constantly consume sweets, eventually leading to obesity.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty are collectively known as the five flavors, each with unique effects on the five internal organs. For example, chewing chili peppers can cause a warming sensation and sweating, thus promoting the flow of lung qi. Swallowing chili peppers directly without chewing them will not have this effect. When eating, the tongue must be given the opportunity to experience the flavors. Furthermore, sourness can prevent liver overactivity, bitterness can stabilize the heart, sweetness benefits the spleen and stomach, and saltiness harmonizes the kidneys. Experiencing the five flavors evenly is just as important as consuming a balanced intake of various nutrients.

From now on, give your tongue ample time to savor flavors, and make your mind and body happier and healthier.

The feeling of fullness without flavor is unsatisfying, so whenever we're hungry, we crave other, more delicious foods. Delicious food isn't just about rare delicacies. Our perception of flavor depends on our attitude towards food. Normally, we experience flavor through our tongue, which is full of taste buds, but we can also taste it using other organs. For example, we can experience flavor through our heart, eyes, ears, and nose.

Before eating, look at the food with anticipation, thinking, "Wow, it must be delicious." Even if it doesn't look appetizing, try to change your mindset. Regardless of whether the food tastes good or not, exclaim, "Ah, it's so delicious!" If you say this while smiling, your ears will transmit the information to your brain, thus changing your mindset. Looking at the food on the table with anticipation will bring you satisfaction. After eating, remind yourself that the food was delicious, and occasionally ask your partner if they enjoyed it, trying to get a response from them.

Another way to truly appreciate food is to be grateful to the person who cooks it and the person who cultivates the ingredients. I especially love eating strawberries, and I savor their color, shape, unique aroma, and sweet and sour taste while reflecting on them. Looking at strawberries, I become even more convinced of God's existence. How could such wondrous creatures have come into being by chance? I not only eat the strawberries themselves, but also the sense of wonder they evoke. Besides strawberries, I have the same thoughts when looking at rice, various beans, spinach, cucumbers, seaweed, cabbage, and other foods.

Furthermore, we should cherish the people who prepare meals for us and eat with us. Since we appreciate and cherish their labor, how can we not enjoy the food? Even if the food isn't particularly delicious, it contains a meaning that transcends mere taste. While eating, I also experience the love of the person who prepared the meal.

To achieve greater satisfaction, one should savor the flavors. However, if one only uses their tongue to experience the taste, there will always be a sense of emptiness, leading to overeating.

Normally, we perceive taste through our eyes, nose, and ears. If we fully savor the flavors using all our senses, we can increase our sense of satisfaction. While we might eat excessively to fill our stomachs, satisfying our five senses can provide a feeling of fullness even with smaller portions.

Don't ignore the aromas at the table. "Ah, this smells so good! It's going to taste delicious!" Also, listen to the sounds you make while eating. Digestion doesn't begin until food enters your mouth; when you smell the aroma through your nose or hear the sound of chopping vegetables, digestion has already started. If all the signals from the eyes, nose, and ears reach the brain, saliva will be secreted in the mouth, and the stomach and intestines will begin preparing. To satisfy the appetite center's constant stimulation of the five senses, a large amount of saliva will be secreted, which also enhances the taste.

Modern chefs not only create delicious flavors but also delight the eyes. Korean cuisine itself isn't particularly special, but dishes garnished with fresh flowers and petals gain a unique appeal.

What if you decorate the dining table in your own way? Even when eating alone, don't just eat casually. You should fully stimulate your five senses to change the atmosphere and reduce your food intake.

In the long process of digestion, digestion within the mouth is crucial. Only a good start can ensure a successful finish. Inside the mouth, the tongue, teeth, and saliva are responsible for digesting food, but they should be given sufficient time to perform their function.

Besides tasting, the tongue also stirs the food in the mouth. To chew food evenly, you must constantly stir it with your tongue.

Carnivorous animals have well-developed canines, while rabbits or mice, whose main diet consists of grass roots and wood bark, have well-developed fangs. In contrast, humans have well-developed molars. When eating, molars act as grinding wheels and pulverizers. The process of chewing food requires appropriate stimulation of the teeth to strengthen them and gums. While eating, one should continuously chew food with their teeth and stir it with their tongue.

Food needs to be thoroughly mixed in the mouth for the stomach and intestines to function properly. Inadequately mixed food entering the stomach and intestines will increase their burden. If the stomach and intestines are not prepared, they are prone to malfunctions. Regardless of how well the stomach and intestines work, if food is not fully digested, they will secrete more stomach acid. Excessive stomach acid secretion can lead to stomach ulcers or gastritis; if acid reflux occurs, it can also cause esophagitis.

Only by actively engaging the oral cavity can the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine function properly. Starting from the mouth, the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus form a long chain of organs. Only when the upper parts function normally can the lower parts function normally. Chewing slowly and thoroughly can improve symptoms such as indigestion and constipation.

Chewing food slowly and thoroughly is beneficial for brain development and can cultivate a good temperament. Insufficient blood flow to the brain can lead to symptoms such as dizziness and nervousness. The act of chewing slowly and thoroughly not only promotes blood circulation but also clears the mind and relieves stress. Many people like to relieve stress by overeating; from now on, please try to relieve stress by chewing food slowly and thoroughly. A study published in the scientific journal *New Scientist* shows that the act of chewing food stimulates the brain and improves memory; regularly chewing food slowly and thoroughly can prevent memory decline.

Everyone knows that chewing food thoroughly can help prevent dementia. Generally, dementia is more likely to occur in the elderly after tooth loss. Without teeth, one cannot chew food properly and can only consume soft foods such as porridge.

Why does eating bread, drinking milk, or noodles like knife-cut noodles and fried noodles easily lead to obesity? Noodles themselves are prone to causing weight gain, and not chewing food thoroughly only exacerbates the problem. Eating quickly all the time results in weight gain and can also dull the mind and cause irritability.

In traditional Chinese medicine, saliva is referred to as jade fluid, spiritual fluid, divine water, jade hairpin, or body fluid. Under normal circumstances, saliva is secreted by three major glands: the sublingual gland, the submandibular gland, and the parotid gland, and each gland can secrete 1 to 2 liters of saliva per day.

Saliva contains sialic acid, a digestive enzyme that breaks down starch. Chewing rice for a long time breaks down the starch, producing a sweet taste. Sialin aids in coarse digestion and creates a feeling of fullness, thus preventing overeating.

Besides amylase, saliva contains other components. Saliva secreted by the parotid glands contains parotid hormone. Parotid hormone helps prevent aging, especially the aging of blood vessels, strengthens bones, and increases skin radiance. This is why people who kiss frequently appear younger. When physically tired, clenching your teeth or swallowing saliva can relieve fatigue. In ancient Eastern medicine, this method of swallowing saliva is called "swallowing saliva," and it is frequently seen in martial arts novels. Of course, chewing food for a long time can also promote the secretion of parotid hormone.

Saliva has the effect of removing carcinogens and the toxicity of food additives. Our food is severely contaminated by various food additives, pesticides, and preservatives, but fortunately, saliva in the mouth has detoxifying abilities. Without chewing food, only a small amount of saliva is secreted; only by chewing thoroughly can saliva secretion be promoted. No matter how soft the food, it should be chewed slowly and carefully to maintain health and prevent excess fat.

Below are some tips for preventing binge eating that can be used in real life.

Think and plan before you eat. Some people lose their rationality and act purely on instinct when they sit at the table. While instinct towards food is a natural and normal behavior, if it's not controlled by reason, it can lead to overeating. Before eating, prepare a way to clear your mind-for example, what if you wrote sentences like these on the table?

"The pleasure of eating lies not in the stomach, but in the mouth. One must chew slowly and thoroughly."

"Fullness indicates that the volume exceeds the capacity."

Before eating, you should think about these questions and then determine your food intake. It is foolish to stop eating only when you feel full.

Eat one dish at a time. Throughout history, Koreans have enjoyed obtaining rich nutrition through a variety of dishes. At the table, it's not the rice that makes your mouth water, but the dishes themselves; therefore, the types of dishes and how they are consumed are very important. Take a bite of rice first, then eat only one dish at a time. Do not eat several dishes at the same time; savor each dish's unique flavor slowly. Also, don't just eat the most appealing or favorite dishes. Number the dishes and eat them in sequence. Only by consuming a variety of dishes evenly can you maintain good health, and only good health can promote metabolism.

You should frequently put down your chopsticks while eating. After finishing a bite of rice or a dish, put down your chopsticks and slowly chew the food in your mouth until you swallow. If you're holding chopsticks, you might unconsciously pick up other foods, so it's best to put them down after finishing each dish. Also, avoid using a spoon; use chopsticks instead. Chopsticks can only pick up small amounts of food, naturally slowing down your eating speed and preventing overeating.

Try to eat light meals. Spicy dishes tend to lead to increased rice consumption, so opt for lighter options. In daily life, we eat dishes not because rice is bland, but to ensure a full intake of various nutrients; therefore, both rice and dishes are staple foods. Eating lighter meals helps reduce overall food intake.

Chew your food thoroughly and slowly. Each bite should be chewed at least 30 times in your mouth. Chewing slowly takes time, making you feel full more easily and preventing overeating. Furthermore, the habit of chewing slowly is beneficial to your health.

Please do not drink the soup. Drinking soup with your meal makes it easier to swallow unchewed food, leading to overeating without realizing it. In most cases, soup contains a lot of salt and soy sauce, resulting in excessive salt intake. We've all had the experience of eating more rice than usual when eating spicy cabbage soup.