Although competitive eating has been in existence for decades, the sport has not made it to mainstream sports platform. In the past, feasts were not marked by food as it was not allowed to go to waste and the population lacked long-term storage facilities. Additionally, unlike today, the farmers did not have the modern farming technology to allow bulk production. Competitive eating was popularized in the 19th Century following the industrial revolution that witnessed inventions such as canning, refrigeration, and better storage. The revolution increased food production that meant that eating contests were more doable than before. Since then, most fairs and festivities were celebrated with food that gradually saw the popularization of food contests. The matches diversified ranging from mild, exotic, extreme, to downright strange. As the exercise gained popularity, fast food joints and restaurants began hosting their contests, and as it became common and people lost interest, and the sport started fading. Eventually, the contests attracted sponsorship and the participants earned money, which was an incentive that is still alive today. People various eating competitions have been founded to promote the event that has seen the creation of the Major League Eating that still thrives to date. The participants’ that make it to the first position are rewarded, and some have made it to the Guinness Book of Records. For example, Eddie Miller has been given the title as the world’s greatest trencherman after consuming 27 chickens. However, like other sports, competitive eating has its fair share of myths about the competitors. The myths pose a health epidemic, as the contestants believe they should attain specific characteristics to win the competition. The popular belief is that skinny participants do better because their stomachs can easily expand to accommodate more food. Hence, some competitors could go for months without food in an attempt to become skinny in preparation for the competition.
On the other hand, top eaters train rigorously to some extreme exercises before the competition as the prizes are lucrative. A normal person’s stomach feels full after a certain quantity of food, but for competitive eaters, they learn to relax and stretch their stomachs by consuming a lot of liquids and large amounts of low-calorie foods. However, excessive eating is associated with detrimental health effects such as painful cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, and heartburn.