What Happens When You Chew Your Food 50 Times? The Surprising Benefits

October 11, 2025 •

3 min read

A 2014 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showed that more chewing can reduce how much you eat. But what if food was chewed 50 times per bite? This method, which is part of mindful eating, can greatly improve digestion and weight management.

Quick Summary

Extensive chewing breaks down food, starting digestion with saliva enzymes. This action signals fullness, reducing food intake and improving nutrient absorption. It supports weight management, reduces bloating, and enhances oral health through increased saliva production.

Key Points

Improved Digestion: Thorough chewing aids efficient food breakdown, lessening the strain on the stomach and intestines.
Enhanced Nutrient Absorption: Increased surface area from chewing helps the body absorb more vitamins and minerals.
Supports Weight Management: Slow chewing allows the brain to register fullness, which prevents overeating and lowers overall calorie intake.
Boosts Oral Health: More chewing boosts saliva, which cleanses the mouth and strengthens jaw muscles.
Promotes Mindful Eating: Counting chews encourages slowing down and savoring the meal, thereby improving the relationship with food.
Reduces Digestive Discomfort: Prevents bloating, gas, and indigestion caused by large, undigested food particles.
Activates Digestive Enzymes: Prolonged chewing provides more time for salivary enzymes to predigest carbohydrates, benefiting digestion.

The Importance of Chewing: The First Step in Digestion

Chewing, or mastication, is the initial step in digestion, often underestimated. Chewing food 50 times improves this process by breaking down food into smaller pieces with increased surface area, making it easier for the stomach to handle.

The Role of Saliva

More chewing boosts saliva production. Saliva contains amylase, an enzyme that starts breaking down carbohydrates in the mouth. Longer chewing gives these enzymes more time to act, beginning digestion before the food reaches the stomach, which leads to better nutrient breakdown and absorption.

Chewing 50 Times and Weight Management

Intensive chewing is related to better weight management. Research links fast eating to higher BMIs. Slow, thorough chewing can reduce food intake.

Fullness Signals

The brain needs about 20 minutes to get fullness signals from the gut. Chewing each bite 50 times extends meal duration, allowing the brain time to register fullness. This prevents overeating and can lower calorie intake. It also boosts appetite-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which signal fullness.

Boosting Calorie Burn

Extended chewing may slightly increase calorie expenditure during digestion through the thermic effect of food. Though this increase is minor, it does contribute to daily energy expenditure.

Impact on Digestion and Gut Health

Swallowing large, unchewed food requires the stomach and intestines to work harder, which can cause digestive problems. Thorough chewing helps prevent these issues.

Reduced Bloating and Gas: Proper chewing prevents undigested food from fermenting in the gut, which causes gas and bloating.
Prevents Indigestion and Heartburn: Well-chewed food is less demanding on the stomach, which may reduce excess acid production and related issues.
Supports the Gut Microbiome: Efficient digestion promotes a healthy balance of gut bacteria by reducing undigested particles available to less beneficial bacteria.

Chewing and Oral Health

Extensive chewing also benefits oral health.

Saliva and Jaw Strength

Increased saliva from prolonged chewing helps clean the mouth of food particles and neutralizes acids, protecting teeth and reducing plaque. The repetitive motion also strengthens jaw muscles and bone structure.

Comparison: 50 Chews vs. Minimal Chewing


Feature	Chewing 50 Times	Minimal Chewing (e.g., 5-10 times)
Digestion Efficiency	High. Food is pre-digested by saliva, reducing stomach workload.	Low. Food enters stomach in large chunks, requiring more effort.
Nutrient Absorption	Optimized. More nutrients are released from smaller particles.	Suboptimal. Larger particles may pass through without releasing all nutrients.
Weight Management	Effective. Slower eating leads to greater satiety and lower intake.	Ineffective. Faster eating can lead to overeating and weight gain.
Digestive Comfort	Improved. Less risk of bloating, gas, and indigestion.	Reduced. Increased risk of gas, bloating, and acid reflux.
Oral Health	Enhanced. Increased saliva and stronger jaw muscles.	Negligible. Less saliva to cleanse mouth, less stimulation for jaw.
Eating Experience	Mindful and enjoyable. Focus on taste and texture.	Mindless and rushed. Focus is on finishing, not savoring.

How to Start Chewing 50 Times: Mindful Eating

Adopting a 50-chew habit involves mindful eating, which focuses on the eating experience. Paying attention to texture, flavor, and temperature slows down eating and increases awareness of hunger and fullness. Begin with smaller bites and put your fork down between mouthfuls. Aim for a baby-food-like consistency before swallowing, rather than strictly counting.

Conclusion: The Overall Effects of Intentional Chewing

Chewing food 50 times per bite offers a holistic way to improve digestive health, manage weight, and develop a healthier relationship with food. It improves nutrient absorption, supports gut health, promotes dental hygiene, and encourages mindful eating. This habit can lead to substantial benefits for overall well-being. For more insight into the physiological effects of increased chewing, consider reviewing this research: {Link: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29767425/}.

Frequently Asked Questions

While 50 chews is suggested for tougher foods, the goal is to chew until food has a paste-like consistency, not to count every chew.

Yes, it can aid weight loss by slowing down eating, enabling the brain to register fullness and prevent overeating. Some studies also show a slight increase in calories burned during digestion.

Insufficient chewing can lead to digestive issues such as bloating, gas, indigestion, heartburn, and poor nutrient absorption.

Yes. Chewing breaks food into smaller particles, increasing the surface area for digestive enzymes and thus improving nutrient absorption.

Chewing and increased enzyme production can slightly increase the thermic effect of food, which means that more energy is used to process the meal.

Take smaller bites, concentrate on the texture, and chew until the food is nearly liquid before swallowing. This approach helps to increase the number of chews without strict counting.

Thorough chewing is central to mindful eating. It helps you enjoy your food and better recognize hunger and fullness signals by focusing on the eating experience.