A Certified Nutritionist Says Using This Centuries-Old Kitchen Utensil Is the Secret to Better Digestion and Less Overeating

If you're the type of guy that's able to scarf down a whole plate of food before everyone else around you has even taken a few bites, this one's for you. Eating too quickly can lead to a slew of problems, from unintentional weight gain to digestive issues. And maybe you've already tried plenty of tricks to attempt slower eating habits, like eating with your non-dominant hand or taking sips of water in between bites. If those habits never seem to stick long-term, one health coach recommends a centuries-old alternative: eating with chopsticks.

"I recommend using chopsticks to support better digestion as it forces you to slow down and eat mindfully," says Olivia Van Guyse, PT, DPT, and certified nutritionist of Viva Pelvic Health and Wellness. "Eating quickly and distracted can contribute to already existing digestive issues. It's not always about what you eat, but how you eat."

When you rush through a meal, you're more likely to swallow excess air, which can cause bloating, gas, and stomach discomfort. Eating quickly can also mean chewing your food less sufficiently, which forces your stomach to work harder to break down larger pieces of food, increasing the chances of indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux.

Using chopsticks helps slow down your eating through smaller bites and an increased mindfulness factor, allowing your body to digest food more comfortably and reducing the tendency to overeat. Van Guyse has used the chopstick strategy herself and as a client recommendation, with reports of less bloating and stomach aches alike.

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"The slower you eat, the more time you give your body to register its fullness cues. Since your body gives the fullness cue on a 10 to 15 minute 'delay,' you can easily blow past this and end up overeating if you eat too fast, leading to both digestive discomfort and unwanted weight gain," she adds.

One study even suggests that eating with chopsticks may influence how your body processes a meal. The study, published in Physiology & Behavior, compared the glycemic response of eating rice with chopsticks, a spoon, or fingers. Glycemic index measures how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar. Foods with a lower glycemic index produce a slower, steadier rise in blood glucose, which helps prevent sharp spikes and crashes in energy. Participants who ate rice with chopsticks had a lower glycemic index (68) than when they ate with a spoon (81).

Now if you've been using chopsticks your whole life, you're probably already highly skilled and can plow through a meal just as quickly as you would with a fork. The strategy is most helpful for people who aren't as proficient, since the learning curve of eating with chopsticks naturally slows the pace of eating. Ultimately, any habit that helps you eat more mindfully makes it easier to recognize fullness cues, support digestion, and actually enjoy your meals.

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source https://www.mensjournal.com/health/nutritionist-eating-with-chopsticks-secret-to-better-digestion-and-less-overeating