A dietary practice of chewing food extremely thoroughly—up to 32 times or more per bite—to aid digestion and health, named after American nutritionist Horace Fletcher.
Named after Horace Fletcher (1848-1919), an American health fad promoter who advocated thorough mastication. The '-ism' suffix indicates it's a system or doctrine. Fletcher popularized this approach in the early 1900s based on his beliefs about digestive efficiency.
Horace Fletcher convinced wealthy Americans and celebrities to literally chew their food 32 times per bite—he called himself 'The Great Masticator.' Though his exact number was wrong, modern science confirms that chewing thoroughly does aid digestion and helps you eat less, making him accidentally correct about the benefits.
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