What are the common misunderstandings about chewing your food well?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.

"Chew each mouthful 30 times" is a rule repeated in Japanese food education (*shokuiku*), and people from abroad often ask whether it really means anything. Here we look at how the number of chews has changed over history, and at what public sources allow us to say.

In numbers

• The fall in the number of chews is generally attributed to more soft foods (bread, hamburger steak, noodles) and shorter meal times.
• The feeling of fullness is generally described as reaching the brain 15–20 minutes after a meal starts, and fast eating is explained as leading to overeating because you finish before you feel full.
• In children's oral development ("underdeveloped oral function", recognised as an insurable diagnosis in 2018), too little chewing experience is also named as a problem.

[Verify] The chew-count figures are researchers' estimates. Check the 8020 achievement rate against the latest Survey of Dental Diseases, and Kaming 30 against MHLW material.

Misunderstanding 1｜How many times you chew has nothing to do with digestion

Chewing breaks food down and lets the enzyme in saliva (amylase) start working. Swallowing food whole is generally described as a burden on the stomach and gut.

Misunderstanding 2｜Counting to 30 at every mouthful is unrealistic

Counting is not the point; choose foods that need chewing and the number rises by itself. Root vegetables, mushrooms, seaweed, brown rice, and cutting food into larger pieces are the tricks used in Japanese food education.

Misunderstanding 3｜Soft food is gentler on the body

For chewing strength, the jaw and saliva, fewer chances to chew are generally described as a disadvantage. For older people too, a diet that needs chewing, for as long as they can chew, is recommended to maintain oral function.

Misunderstanding 4｜Eating fast does not make you fat if the amount is the same

Research shows that fast eating delays the feeling of fullness, so the amount tends to rise. There are also reports that eating the same amount slowly is more satisfying.

Misunderstanding 5｜Chewing has nothing to do with healthy teeth

Chewing produces saliva that washes the mouth, and stimulates the tissues around the teeth. That is why the 8020 campaign has "keeping teeth you can chew with" as its goal.

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Sources

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, *Dental and oral health and food education: Kaming 30* [歯・口の健康と食育〜噛ミング30（カミングサンマル）〜]

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/kenkou/shika/

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, *2022 Survey of Dental Diseases* [令和4年 歯科疾患実態調査] (8020 achievement rate)

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/62-17.html

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, e-Healthnet, *Fast eating and obesity* [早食いと肥満]

https://www.e-healthnet.mhlw.go.jp/information/food/e-02-010.html

⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.

About this article

What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.

This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.

Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.

This article is not meant to diagnose or manage any specific medical condition. If you are worried about your health, see a doctor rather than relying on your own judgement.

Sources

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