My Dad Banned Forks—and It Helped My Gut

Gday Mate!

After a threshold session on the bike last week with hybrid athlete Luke Hopkins, we hit one of my favorite lunch spots—This Bowl where as a casual, health-forward spot serving Asian-inspired bowls they offer chopsticks and it reminded me why these humble utensils might be the most underrated tool for digestive health. Let me explain… 

In this weeks Newsletter (4 min read)

🥢 Why slower eating = better digestion

🍽 What Luke Hopkins eats in a day

💬 Recap from the On x Hybrid Panel

If your mate challenges you at chopstick battles send them THIS link and make sure they accept to get a referral prize :)

🥢 Why Chopsticks (and Slowing Down) Support Digestion

Now, I’ve got a personal rule; If a place offers chopsticks, you use them. Luke picked his up, after a few bites laughed, and dropped a line that stuck with me: “You can’t rush food with chopsticks—kind of makes you actually enjoy it.” That sparked a convo about pace and digestion—and how slowing down when you eat can genuinely improve how your body absorbs and utilizes nutrients.

Let’s break down why that matters:

🔬 What the Science Says:

1. Slower eating leads to better digestion and nutrient absorption. Found this pretty cool…A 2011 study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that participants who ate more slowly had higher levels of gut hormones like GLP-1 and PYY, which are critical for digestion and satiety.

2. You absorb more when you eat slower.
   This one is something I often try to remind my athletes… especially between the stress of competition. A study in Appetite (2014) showed that slower eating led to higher postprandial glucose responses—suggesting improved carbohydrate digestion and utilization. This means your body has more time to actually use the food you’re putting in.

3. You end up eating less—without trying.
   A meta-analysis in Obesity Reviews (2020) found consistent evidence that slow eating reduces energy intake and increases perceived fullness. So you’re not just helping your gut—you’re supporting body composition goals too.

Why Chopsticks Help:

Chopsticks introduce a built-in speed bump. You can only pick up so much, and it forces focus. That naturally reduces:

• Bite size

• Chewing speed

• Total pace of the meal

You chew more, produce more saliva, and allow your gut to do its job. As I’ve said before, digestion starts in the mouth, not the stomach. Saliva enzymes (amylase, lipase) kick off carb and fat breakdown before anything hits your gut.

Who would’ve thought Greg Churchill, insisting his three boys master chopsticks, was actually giving us a gut health advantage? You win this round, Dad.

The Takeaway

Not everyone grew up with a dad banning forks like we did. But this isn’t about mastering chopsticks—it’s about what they symbolize:

Slow down. Be present. Enjoy your food.

When I was a private chef for elite athletes, this was my top role—not just fueling performance, but helping high performers pause, breathe, and enjoy the moment

💪 What Luke Hopkins Eats in a Day

As you might have seen in my recent youtube episode with Luke, he trains 3 and sometimes for sessions a day, so I wanted to lay out what he eats. Training for his Ironman worlds I made 2 adjustments to his plan:

1. Adding a quick shake in post morning swim before the meal as there is a 60 min gap between swim and meal 1

2. Having him add spinach later to the heat so it does not denature

Calories: 3,613 kcal Protein: 230.5g Carbohydrates: 470.5g Fat: 88.5g

Macro Ratio: Protein: ~25% Carbs: ~52% Fat: ~22%

(*These are all approximations)

Quick Notes

🏃🏻‍♂️ The Hybrid NYC Panel was a hit! Thanks to Jesse Dimond and Jonah Rosner for being our expert panelists. It was a really cool moment to bring together the community, around a topic we want to add tremendous value on in one of my partners space. Thanks again to all who came, FAQs to come.

🎥 My London Marathon video is now up on Youtube click the link HERE

👊 Next week we are going into how to improve Digestive Conditioning

DC

#EatGoodFeelGood