Chewy Food Encourages Better Behavior in Kids

Young children who are served chewy food appear to behave more favorably, compared to children who have to frequently bite and chomp to eat their food, according to a recent study.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Eating Behaviors, paints a somewhat alarming picture where young children are observed for "animalistic" behavioral tendencies after chewing or chomping their food.

In a unique observational study, researchers from Cornell University determined that children are twice as likely to be socially aggressive and disobedient when regularly served food that requires biting can chomping, compared to children who are served food that can be picked up and chewed.

According to the study, the research team observed 12 elementary school students for two days while they stayed at a 4-H summer camp.

On the first day of camp, the researchers arranged for six of the twelve children to be served food that required biting, such as chicken on the bone and corn on the cob. The other half of the group was sat at a separate table isolated from the biting group as was served "chewy" food such as bite-size pieces of boneless chicken.

On the second day of camp, the two groups of children swapped lunch menus.

The children were videotaped during lunchtime for both days and behavioral analysts were invited to evaluate the children's aggressiveness and respect for authority.

Bizarrely, following the analysis, the researchers were able to conclude that on both days, the children who were served biting food were nearly twice as likely to not comply with the requests of their counselor and were more likely to act boisterous and more aggressive towards one another, compared to the chewing group.

The researchers suggest that, like animals, using teeth to tear through food may encourage aggressive behavior. In contrast, the use of utensils and slow chewing may remind young children of their table manners.

The study was published in Eating Behaviors on April 1.