12 January 2012

chews once again


"The manner in which you thump out the notes 
without the slightest thought as to their meaning is unforgivable. 
And your lack of passion is unforgivable. I shall have to beat you."
From "Immortal, Beloved."
I was taking it easy, watching some Beethoven.
When he said this. And I thought - 
"That applies to so many things in life!"

We eat real fast - like a condemned person....
Or not - maybe they would go slower that we do!
They might try to enjoy the meal.

If part of obesity is caused by malabsorption (link)
At the very least we can greatly improve our health
by just taking the time to help properly digest it - 
or at least to not hinder digestion!
And since digestion begins in the mouth...
It just makes sense to chew that food, dude!

I timed myself.... about 8 - 10 "chews" per bite.

I might take 5 minutes for a meal.... from start to finish.
And that includes cooking and cleaning up!

Still wolfing it down.
So, I took a survey on FaceBook.
Many people are just now starting to understand 
how important it is the actually chew their food!
Here are some examples of the Too Few Chews!

How many times do you chew each bite?
Ever given it any thought?

6 to 8 bites....1.5  minutes per half a sandwich
Maybe 3 to 4 minutes total for the meal...

12-16 bites ....4.5 minutes total for the meal...

6 bites 

6 - 8 bites...

psa to eat slower

8 comments:

  1. Yes...and this is why some want juicers or blenders to do some of the chewing for us since it is impossible to chew food manually, sufficiently, to yield the maximum nutritional benefit from the foods we eat.

    That being said...chewing more does increase absorption and allows us to reach satiety on fewer total calories.

    I've been very satisfied after consuming a 20-24 oz glass of freshly made green juice as an entire meal, though, it is relatively low in calories.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm supposed to chew every bite 30 times. I don't always do it but I'm better than average because if I don't chew well food can get stuck in my stoma.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "It says 'Chew Chew Chews Me' and there's a picture of a train." ~Ralph said to Lisa regarding her Valentine card. (The Simpsons)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am going to try and see how many times I chew when I have dinner...stay tuned.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I counted the other day, out of curiosity, cause I'd read something about Fletcherites...and I was in the 20-something. Not quite thirty....hah.

    I still think I eat too fast. Some days, I purposely do it mindfully. Otehrs, I scarf. But since I do have the habit of drinking 2 to 3 glasses of water before I eat, that does sort of make me conscious it's FOOD TIME COMING UP...and focus on it.

    20 something ain't too bad, I guess. I digest well. I only get tummy woes when I eat too much raw cruciferous (gassy) or xylitol gum(gassy and icky bathrooms, if I have more than a couple pieces.)

    It behooves us all to chew more, I think. FOr digestion's sake. Not for Mr. Fletcher's... ; )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PD - I had never heard of this guy - till right now!
      Imagine that...it has a name - The Great Masticator!
      Thanks for the info!

      Delete
  6. Ha, I'm actually glad you wrote about this again. I totally forgot that I was going to slow down and chew longer! Just went back to old habits.

    chew chew chew chew.......

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's not okay to inhale...lol. Guess I'll have to pay attention. Some things go nasty if you chew them too long...like pork chops..it becomes all grissly...and dry. but chewing is good.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you!