https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QW_ve1TlmI&feature=related
It’s National Hot Dog Day, and nothing quite says “I’m a greatist!” like speed-eating a large mass of ground beef/pork/whatever the heck else is actually inhot dogs.
Ok, we take that back. Hot dogs are certainly not the healthiest thing a person can eat thanks to their high calorie count excess of sodium. Those meat tubes aren’t an everyday food, but if you’re going to take a cheat day, National Hot Dog Day is a pretty good excuse.
While we’ll be chowing down on just one or two links, Joey Chestnut has made his name (and some serious bank) scarfing down hot dogs in eating competitions. Chestnut is the reigning competitive eating champ worldwide. He is also the reigning six-time winner of theNathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held at Coney Island in New York City every year. How does Chestnut manage to eat more than 60 hot dogs in 10 minutes? The good folks at ESPN Sport Science had way too much time on their hands decided to figure it out and put Chestnut to the test. (Spoiler alert: It’s a combination of gravity, some weird breathing techniques, and mega-powerful masseter and esophagus muscles).
It’s actually pretty cool that the reason most competitive eaters are lean is because the stomach needs room to expand. Body fat prevents this expansion, putting larger competitors at an unexpected disadvantage. Check out the video and try not to get grossed out. Who knows, we might just learn something!
Eating competitions: feats of strength or gluttonous waste? Let us know in the comments below.
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