Research has shown that eating foods with a firm or crispy texture can help with weight loss more than eating soft foods. For those who love bread and want to lose weight, they might eat less when choosing a baguette over castella.

Professor Ciarán Forde's research team at the Department of Sensory Science and Eating Behavior at Wageningen University in the Netherlands conducted a study to confirm that calorie intake can be reduced through eating methods.

 

The research team divided 50 participants into four groups and provided them with lunch consisting of ▲hard-textured ultra-processed foods ▲soft-textured ultra-processed foods ▲hard-textured minimally processed foods ▲soft-textured minimally processed foods. All were designed to have the same caloric content and were rated as similarly tasty. Subsequently, the research team confirmed how much the participants ate for lunch through video analysis. Dinner was freely consumed by the participants, and they were asked to report how much they ate.

Analysis showed that the group that ate foods with a firm texture consumed 26% fewer calories than the group that ate foods with a soft texture, regardless of how processed the foods were. The research team explained, "Hard foods can be bitten into smaller pieces than soft foods and need to be chewed longer, which inevitably slows down the eating speed."

 

It was said that eating slowly can lead to greater feelings of fullness, resulting in less intake. In fact, the group that ate hard foods was found to have a meal pace approximately 50% slower than the group that ate soft foods. Later, when comparing how much was eaten for dinner, the intake was similar across all groups.

 

The research team stated, "Eating solid foods reduces energy intake, and the decrease in intake continues until the next meal."

 

Examples of firm foods suggested by the research team include rice instead of mashed potatoes, a crunchy salad with fresh ingredients instead of cabbage salad, chewy chicken breast instead of fish fillet, a firm apple instead of soft mango, and chunky tomato salsa instead of tartar sauce.

 

Professor Ford stated, "There is over ten years of evidence that crunchy, hard, and chewy foods that encourage people to eat slowly help reduce calorie intake." He added, "Correcting eating habits has the advantage of allowing people to continue enjoying their favorite foods while reducing the risk of overeating." He further mentioned, "If the caloric intake is sustained through changes in texture, it can also help reduce daily energy consumption."

 

In a previous study conducted by the research team, it was confirmed that when eating carrots without applying mayonnaise and cutting off the larger, thicker parts, they could be eaten approximately three times more slowly.

 

Meanwhile, the results of this study were recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

 

 

Bread lover, to lose weight... Baguette VS Castella? © Provided by Health Chosun