n :  the practice of eating in small amounts and only when hungry and of chewing one's food thoroughly
 
Fletcher, Horace (1849-1919), American dietitian. Fletcher was plagued by obesity and indigestion most of his life. Then in 1895 he set out to find the key to good health. After several failures he finally decided that the solution lay in chewing one's food thoroughly. He developed a set of principles which he then proceeded to propagate. The basic tenets were these: one should eat only when genuinely hungry and never when anxious, depressed, or otherwise preoccupied; one may eat any food that appeals to the appetite; one should chew each mouthful of food 32 times or, ideally, until the food liquefies; one should enjoy one's food.
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.