WHO NEEDS TO SWALLOW WHEN YOU CAN CHEW?

Have you ever thought to yourself “I really want to lose weight but I really don’t want to go to the gym”? Well here’s the perfect diet for you! Maybe… The Fletcherism diet may be up your alley. But is it really good for you?

Figure #1: Horace Fletcher, creator
of the Fletcherism diet in 1903.

We’ve all done it, where we started chewing something, we realized it tasted awful and our first reaction was to spit it out. Gross right? Well maybe not to some people who are trying to lose weight. Not to a man who considered himself to be old at the age of 40, a man who was 50 pounds overweight, a man who got the flu every 6 months, who didn’t stop complaining about indigestion and a man who was constantly tired. This is the man who discovered the Fletcherism diet. This man is named Horace Fletcher.

Horace Fletcher used to be an extremely athletic man throughout his younger college years and at the age of 40, this man who is 50 pounds overweight, struggles to walk up a flight of stairs without a struggle to breathe. He thought to himself how there must be a way to lose weight in a fast way. He then began his research and stumbled across an article written by Sir William Gladstone in which he pointed out how humans have 32 teeth which means nature would want humans to chew each bite 32 times. He then made his diet based on this

You thought school rules were strict?

Figure #2: To the left, Evan Murray chewing his food.
To the right, he proceeds to spit it out with the purpose
 of following the Fletcherism diet.

Horace Fletcher came up with a set of rules he believed were extremely important to follow in order to be successful:

• Chew your food until it’s liquid (about 32 times) and spit it out
• Never eat until you are hungry
• Savour the flavour
• Don’t eat when tired, angry or worried
• At meal times, do not talk about unpleasant things

What’s the science behind this diet?

Horace Fletcher’s theory was that swallowing food that wasn’t completely liquefied would pass through the colon and bacteria would turn the solid food into poison. This poison would eventually reach the bloodstream and result in a shorter life Is this theory truly supported by scientific facts? I believe not.

Horace Fletcher realized that it’s extremely difficult to chew meat to the point it’s completely liquid. Therefore he decided to cut out meat from his diet because who needs meat? It’s just another food that’s going to poison us all and shorten our life, right? Well not exactly. Horace Fletcher had the habit of cutting out foods from his life that interfered with his rules.

Figure #3: The digestive system and the path
food follows through the body before being
 absorbed into the bloodstream.

When food travels through the body, it goes through multiple processes of digestions in order to break down food and molecules that are eaten. When food reaches the small intestine after becoming chyme from the stomach, digestive juices that contain enzymes from the liver, pancreas and intestine help further break down food. When it is completely liquid, the small intestine absorbs the digested nutrients into the bloodstream. This blood then provides the rest of the body with nutrients. These nutrients are important because they supply the body with energy for certain vital processes. This completely opposes Horace Fletcher’s theory, because solid food does not turn into a poisonous substance but on the contrary, it supplies the body with nutrients.

So how was Horace Fletcher able to lose weight?

Well, I don’t know about you guys but I wouldn’t find chewing each bite 32 times fun. Horace Fletcher’s diet made him lose interest in eating. Eating was no longer appealing to him. His diet went from chewing each bite 32 times to eating less because he found his diet too unappealing. His loss of appetite is the reason Horace Fletcher was capable of losing 60 pounds in 5 months.

Consequences of the Fletcherism diet

There are many consequences that may arise from participating in the Fletcherism diet. This diet can result in eating less food than your body needs to function. When the body does not get enough calories and there is a quick loss in weight it can result in gall-stones which is only treated by surgery. Lack of proper nutrients and calories may also result in malnutrition disorders. If you decide to participate in this diet long term, the body may not be able to receive energy from proper sources and it may begin to burn muscle to obtain energy.

It goes without say, we have to give credit to Horace Fletcher for coming up with a quick way to lose weight. He did solve his problem. But personally, I would avoid the Fletcherism diet because I enjoy eating food and I want to keep it that way. I’d maybe try another more appealing diet than the Fletcherism diet. A diet that does not result in your drastic unhealthy weight loss. A diet that doesn't require spitting out every bite you take. A diet that doesn't kill your appetite. Therefore, I say, keep searching on the diet that's right for you.