Leave it to Beavo.
A TikTok star who’s been gobbling up millions of views from fans who like to watch him eat, appears to now be advocating that chewing your food is no longer cool — leaving both casual observers and medical experts concerned for his well-being.
Brandon Beavis, or Beavo, as he’s known on the platform, has had to swallow a meal’s worth of constructive criticism after viewers observed him gulping down solid foods — in one aggressive bite after another.
Earlier in the week, he addressed the controversy while practically inhaling a plate of chicken and rice.
“Apparently I don’t chew enough but I don’t need to chew,” the Brit intones, before swallowing a forkful, right on camera.
“No chew needed, you don’t need to chew your food!”
Don’t listen to him, say health professionals in the know.
Chewing your food — and doing it slowly — is critical to a meal, experts say.
“This means that you will be able to notice when you are full, which can help prevent you from over eating,” doctors at Hillcrest Hospital in England say, noting also that saliva contains digestive enzymes that help break down your main course after being diced up.
Chewing is also known to promote teeth and mouth health — saliva also washes away food particles and bacteria that could get stuck.
Not chewing leaves food in huge chunks, which often go undigested.
“The door is wide open for any number of ailments including diarrhea, gas, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain and other digestive problems,” per the hospital.
Experts like University of Utah dietician Staci McIntosh stress that there’s no need to go overboard with chewing either.
“Whether you do that by taking longer to chew your food or if you take longer just in between bites, it’s not going to make that much of a difference,” she said.
“I would certainly recommend that people chew their food appropriately, but counting the number of times you chew your food is a little obsessive.”