Want to eat slower? Pick meals that need chopsticks, not hands

Two meals, three sequences, one finding: meal type, not the order of eating, shapes how long we chew and eat. Bento meals increased duration and chewing, while pizza prompted faster, shorter eating.

Study: The Meal Type Rather than the Meal Sequence Affects the Meal Duration, Number of Chews, and Chewing Tempo. Image Credit: Aedka Studio / Shutterstock

Researchers at the Fujita Health University, Japan, investigated the effect of meal type and sequence on meal duration. They found that meal type significantly affects meal duration, independent of meal sequence. The findings are published in the journal Nutrients.

Background

Obesity is a chronic metabolic condition that increases the risk of various non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Several dietary interventions have been developed to prevent excess fat accumulation and reduce body weight in obese people.

The main aim of these interventions is to reduce excess energy-rich food intake while maintaining the body's nutritional needs. However, obese people frequently consume carbohydrate—and fat-enriched ultra-processed foods, as these foods can activate the brain’s reward system and induce pleasure-related repetitive eating habits.

Meal duration and meal sequence have been found to potentially influence metabolism. In obese people, slow eating has been found to reduce food intake and control weight gain. In diabetic patients, meal sequence, especially the carbohydrate-last meal pattern (consuming carbohydrates at the end of the meal), has been found to control blood glucose levels and reduce glycemic variability.

Previously, Fujita Health University researchers reported that meal duration is positively associated with the number of chews and bites taken while eating. In this study, they extended their work to identify mealtime factors that influence meal duration, chewing frequency, and chewing tempo.

The authors note that although meal sequence is recognized for its effects on postprandial blood glucose, its role in meal duration has not been clearly established and requires further investigation.

Study design

The study included 41 individuals aged 20 to 65. It analyzed the impact of two mealtime factors, including meal type and meal sequence. The participants were provided with two meal types: pizza and a hamburger steak bento consisting of a hamburger steak, rice, and broccoli.

The participants were first provided pizza, and the meal duration, chewing frequency, chewing tempo, and number of bites were measured. A bitescan™ device and video analysis were used to measure these parameters objectively. The same measurements were taken after four weeks when the participants consumed hamburger steak bento in a vegetable-first manner. After four weeks, they again consumed the same meal in a vegetable-last manner.

At the participants' first visit, body weight, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass index, and handgrip strength were also measured. A dietary history questionnaire was used to assess daily nutrient intake.

Study findings

The study found that eating pizza is associated with significantly shorter meal duration, lower chewing frequency, and lower chewing tempo (the process of chewing) compared to eating hamburger steak bento. Regarding the number of bites, no significant difference was observed between the two meal types. These differences in mealtime parameters were similar for male and female participants.

Notably, the study found that meal sequence, i.e., eating vegetables first or last while consuming hamburger steak bento, has no significant impact on mealtime parameters (meal duration, chewing frequency, chewing tempo, and number of bites).

By analyzing relationships between multiple meal-related factors, the study found that meal duration is positively associated with chewing frequency, number of bites, and meal type and negatively associated with participants' age and sex. However, no significant association was observed between meal duration and body mass index (a measure of body fat).

Study significance

The study reveals that the type of meal can significantly influence meal duration and that this effect is independent of meal sequence (the order of food consumed during mealtime). According to the findings, meals that are served in portions and require chopsticks for consumption, such as hamburger steak bento, can significantly increase meal duration and chewing frequency, compared to meals that are eaten with hands, such as pizza.

Given that hamburger steak bento contains unprocessed foods such as broccoli and rice, these findings highlight the importance of selecting meals with various side dishes to obtain different nutrients and achieve a slow eating rate, which is an effective weight management strategy for obese people.

The study could not find any impact of meal sequence on meal duration. Different meal sequences, such as eating vegetables first or eating carbohydrates last, have been found to have significant effects on blood glucose regulation. Based on these observations, researchers suggest that eating vegetables first and carbohydrates last may be the best choice because blood glucose levels are less likely to increase if vegetables are consumed first.

The study finds positive associations of meal duration with chewing frequency, number of bites, and participant sex. These findings suggest that increasing chewing frequencies and bites may prolong meal duration regardless of meal type. It is generally believed that taking smaller bites and thoroughly chewing the food are vital steps for increasing meal duration and preventing overeating.

The study finds that meal duration decreases with increasing age. As researchers mentioned, such shorter meal duration could be due to the deterioration of the oral environment, such as a lower number of teeth or the presence of dental caries, which can potentially reduce chewing frequency and meal duration.

The authors note several limitations to their work. The study was exploratory in nature and not randomized, and the number of teeth or participants' oral health was not assessed. Psychological factors related to eating behavior and the effect of using digital measurement devices versus real-world eating environments were also not examined. These factors may influence the generalizability of the findings and should be addressed in future research.

Overall, the study suggests that an appropriate meal type selection is vital for achieving a slow eating pattern.