Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
You’ve probably heard many a parent telling their children to
stop eating so fast, slow down and chew your food. I used to hear it all the
time growing up. I think I could have been done with my plate of food before
Mom and Dad even started! I was in a hurry to get back outside and play.
Have you ever noted how people around you eat when you are at
a restaurant? Some eat slow and talk
their way through a meal, while others are all business, get it in and get it
down! I’ve often heard it said you should chew each bite 25 times. Whoever came
up with that, I have no idea, but it sounds a bit like over kill to me. At that
point why not just puree it?
Believe it or not, there really are physiological and
psychological reasons to chew your food properly. What is properly chewing a
bite of food? Well, I haven’t found anything to be too dogmatic about, and the
amount each food needs masticated (chewed) obviously depends on what it is. It
is not necessarily how many times you chew each bite, but how each morsel taken
in ends up before you swallow it. Eating on the run or in front of the TV is
not conducive to good food processing. Unfortunately, short school lunch
periods and half hour lunches at work tend to force us into fast eating and a
bad habit. You should eat purposefully, taking smaller bites, chewing slow and
steady, and fully breaking down each bite until it has lost its basic texture. You
need to finish chewing and swallow completely, prior to taking another bite. Do
not wash your food down with liquid. That is not to say don’t drink with your
meal, just don’t chew half way and wash it down with drink.