How many times do you chew your food?

While out to dinner with a group of friends the other night, both Danielle and I realized how fast we eat.  We realized we were done eating before anyone else at the table!

The good news:

We are on the tail end of the time of life that we inhale our food.

For those who have (or have had) kids, you know what that means.

With young children, putting food down your throat anyway you can is just part of it!

However, as we break through this cycle of life, slowing down while eating has huge health benefits.

Here are 3 benefits:

1. Chewing your food slowly literally forces you to slow down.  This is the practice of “mindful eating”.
2. Your saliva has digestive enzymes and when you chew your food slower, you are integrating an important part of your digestive process.
3. Chewing your food 30 times versus the typical 5 chews can be a cornerstone of good health. You can distill more nutrients from your food if you liquefy it more, improving your digestion.

However, there is at least 1 side effect to chewing your food 30 times.

This side effect is more work on your TMJ (your jaw joint and muscles).

Any patient that comes in our office with pain the jaw typically has trouble chewing.  This includes:

• Difficulty chewing on one side of the mouth
• Difficulty chewing firmer substances (such as meat)
• Difficulty chewing for longer periods of time (hence, why they swallow after 4 chews vs 30 chews).

If you are looking to do 1 thing to change your health, try chewing your food 30 times.  If your TMJ gets in the way, we can help.

You can learn more about our TMJ specialties on our website.  There are many ways to improve your alignment and balance other than expensive dental appliances.

You can also learn about how we help you get symmetry and balance for the entire body to maximize longevity by reading about our 6 Green Zones.

If this is something that can make your life better, feel free to contact us at 919-728-0335 or schedule online to get you back on track!