A recent study found that some people eat solid, crunchy foods slowly, which promotes feelings of fullness more quickly, while consuming a fifth less quantity.
The researchers gave 50 people four identical lunches, two classified as ultra-processed, and two classified as minimally processed.
Importantly, one meal in each category was firmer and more crunchy, making it more difficult to eat quickly, while the other was easier to consume.
The study found that people consumed 26% fewer calories when the lunch was more solid, largely regardless of the degree of processing, as these meals could not be eaten so quickly.
Solider meals include boiled rice instead of soft mashed potatoes, crunchy salad instead of coleslaw, firm fresh apples instead of soft canned mango, and thick, unflavored yogurt instead of flavored yogurt drinks.
The lunches contained the same amount of calories and were rated similarly on how good they tasted.
But people consumed fewer calories - about 300 fewer calories - from the more solid lunches, because they ate less of them.
They appeared to eat less because they had to chew their food more before swallowing, which slowed the overall rate of meal consumption by up to half.
Researchers believe that eating more slowly gives the body a better opportunity to track the amount of food consumed, so that a person may realize that he is full faster and stop eating.
Professor Kieran Forde, lead author of the study from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said: “What is attractive about using meal texture to change behavior and eating is that people can still enjoy eating the foods they like, while reducing the risk of overconsumption. This means that people can still “People enjoy the meal and eat until they are full comfortably, without having to feel restricted.”
The research team previously studied different aspects of food texture related to speed of eating, and found that even a simple carrot can be eaten almost three times slower if it is cut into larger, thicker slices.
The study results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.