How many times do you chew your food?

[blue_lotus13]

B* has asked me to ask this general question, as I have more readers than he does. He is wondering how many times most people chew their food. He just realizes that he chews more than the average person, which contributes to him being a slow eater.

I had never noticed that he was a slow eater, probably because we usually talk while we're eating together.

Personally, I don't think I chew that much, especially if I'm in the middle of a low blood sugar crisis. When I'm having a low blood sugar attack, I try to eat fast so that I can feel better as soon as possible.


Here's his entry on the subject-
A physiological question for you, if you please

Have you ever done something one way all your life, assuming it was what everyone else did, only to find out one day that you were totally different from everyone else?
Like if your family had something called the "one-second rule", where if you dropped food on the table or ground, you had one second to snatch it up and it would be okay to eat. And you did that for years, until someone told you that everyone else used a five-second rule.

Okay, so my question is: how many times do you chew your food (per mouthful)?

Assume normal food, like rice+stirfry, or maybe a sandwich. Do you bite a few times to break apart the food and then go ahead and swallow? Do you chew for thirty seconds to mush up the food? I've always chewed until it was all broken down, to fully bring out the flavour and make it easy to swallow and digest - I counted today and this is about sixty crunches for pasta, thirty for cereal.

Only at dinner last night did I realize that my friends only chew a few times before going on to the next bite. This answers an unsolved mystery of my life, which is why the heck why I eat slower than everyone else. I just can't bring myself to chew faster - it feels gross to swallow a chunky mass of food and feel it distending my throat as it goes down.

So ... what about you? Am I a freak? Or are you?

*B

Comments

[pescana.livejournal.com]

Deborah (of Chicklit) said something once about this. Chewing your food thoroughly is much better for your digestive system, which is why it used to be recommended by doctors when I was a kid.

I'm working on it, but I have similar issues with blood sugar so sometimes I bolt my food. But I also tend to be slow, because I like to savor my food and I don't like it piping hot, so if it's cooked food I tend to let it cool before starting. It wasn't only because my food came last that I was so far behind everyone else at dinner Saturday!

But I am truly making an effort to chew more, and take more time eating. I eat in front of the computer far too often, and I don't always pay attention to my food. Even if I sit at the table, I'm still generally reading while I eat.

[vestra.livejournal.com]

I've definitely heard that it is better to chew your food a lot, but I definitely don't. I'm a fast eater, I sometimes barely chew things at all. And I often start on the next bite before I've totally swallowed the last one. I really should probably try and slow down. But food is so yummy, sometimes I can't help myself!

[zoje-george.livejournal.com]

I am a fast eater due to years of working on the clock and only having a half hour to 15 minutes for lunches. Also, I can chew too long or I start to gag.

[arwenoid.livejournal.com]

I used to date a guy who was offended by how fast I ate. His opinion was, he slaved away to cook a nice meal for me, and I scarfed it down like a starving puppy.

He wanted me to savor each bite. I just thought it was so good that I wanted more, More, MORE!

[mirabillia.livejournal.com]

after i read this i analyzed my chewing pattern and i do indeed chew way too little and eat too fast.

i sense a new year's resolution coming on...

[hot-soup.livejournal.com]

It occurs to me that I have been, all my life and without knowing it, a proponent of Slow Food!

b*