Joey Chestnut took home his first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2007 by packing down 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. After his 2023 record-breaking win, he said that he felt really bloated, similar to Thanksgiving. “It’s kind of like that, but really, really bad,” he told Insider. Eating so much so quickly also had him sweating profusely, and his sweat smelled like hot dogs. He also said it would take him two days to recover.
While the rock-paper-scissors food challenge won’t have you gorging on that much food, even your mother told you that eating too fast has side effects. Dietitians at Northwestern Medicine say that eating food too quickly will have you swallowing a lot of air, making you gassy a little later. Do you really want to do this on a date?
You’ll also be setting yourself up for digestive problems because you’re more likely to swallow larger pieces of food such as whole french fries. Your digestive system will have to work harder to break these larger pieces down. Eating too fast also elevates your blood pressure and blood sugar. Over time, you could develop obesity, diabetes, or gastritis.