When I was thinking of the theme for this newsletter and came up with “Just Chew It!” all I could hear in my head was Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” but with “Chew It” substituted. Corny, I know, but easy to remember. And, kind of funny.
Chewing actually is important for our digestion. Chewing food thoroughly helps get the food ready for digestion by breaking it into smaller pieces and mixing it with saliva and some digestive enzymes. Chewed food travels down the esophagus easily. Chewing also takes time which means you slow down and, hopefully, pay a bit more attention to what is actually in your mouth.
Food companies and restaurants actually don’t want you to chew. Because, chewing takes time and slows you down. If chewing slows you down, it means you may eat less. Which, in turn, means they may make less money. Or, if you still order the same amount of food, means you may end up eating more because you over-eat easier when you don’t have to chew. Want to know how they do this? They, um, have the food pre-chewed for you. EEEEWWWWWW!!!!! Did that get your attention?
Its true! A lot of major food chains and food companies process their foods in ways that, basically, make them pre-chewed. This means that they break down in your mouth very fast so you only have to chew a couple of times before you can swallow. Think about it. How much do you have to chew to get a carrot ready to swallow? Quite a bit. How much do you have to chew to get that chicken finger ready to swallow? Typically, only a couple of times. The foods you get at many restaurants are processed so you can “wolf it down fast” says an interviewee in David Kessler’s book The End of Overeating. He goes on to say that “By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. ‘When you’re eating these things, you’ve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it.’ said the consultant.” Pretty eye opening. . . .
Next time you are eating at your favorite restaurant, look at the menu and think about choosing foods you’ll have to chew rather than just swallow. And, when your food arrives, pay attention to you chewing. Do you have to chew the food well (10+ times) or does only a couple of times do before you can swallow it? Picking foods you have to chew can lead to enjoying your food more as well as, possibly, reducing your waistline.