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Okay, so if your mother is anything like mine, maybe Mom was sort of right. My mother’s intention was for my siblings and me to chew our food long enough not to choke on it – a couple of quick chews and down the hatch. According to Jessica Porter, though, we should aim to chew each mouthful of food 50 – 100 times before sending it down that hatch.

What?!?!? No, I’m not kidding. And – you in the corner – cradling your bloated, gurgling, gaseous stomach – stop laughing and listen up. I had to suppress a couple of laughs listening to Porter; mostly, though, I just giggled along with the other 25 people soaking up her stories. I even silenced that inner critic I know so well and learned a few things.

Why in the world would we want to chew each mouthful of food 50 – 100 times?

• Chew your food 50 – 100 times and you’ll be swallowing food in liquid form, rather than as a solid. This will save the rest of your digestive system a LOT of work.
• Chewing releases the power of our saliva. Saliva is alkaline and contains some mighty powerful enzymes that break down our food. As it mixes with saliva, our food becomes more alkaline.
• Drinking a smoothie – swish it around in your mouth, mixing it with saliva. You want the smoothie to experience the benefit of spending some time with powerful saliva.
• When the rest of your body doesn’t have to work so hard to digest your food, you’ll experience some great results:
  • Say good-bye to that bloated, gurgling, gaseous stomach!
  • Reduce inflammation, which helps heal a host of chronic illnesses.
  • Say hello to increased energy and the ability to focus and think clearly.

How in the world do you chew each mouthful of food 50 – 100 times?

• Pretend your food is mouthwash and close off your throat as you chew your food.
• Start small – eat the first 2/3 of your meal as you normally would. Chew the last 1/3 of your meal 50 times.
• Once you’ve mastered this, chew 100% of every meal for one day 50 times.
• Next – try it for a week and see how you feel. Call it a chew-a-thon as Porter does; making it fun helps!!
• Never count higher than 10 – after the first count of 10, up goes the thumb. Second count, index finger, and so on.
• Chew as fast as you want; yes, you can dance while you chew if that helps! Want to park yourself in front of the television while you eat? Go right ahead. Just chew, and chew and chew.

Never one to shy away from the uncomfortable, Porter also let us know how to handle eating with friends who will not be engaging in your chew-a-thon: Just tell them you’re going to do this weird chewing thing. No problem!

Big thanks to Lisa Silverman and Five Seasons Cooking School for hosting this evening with Jessica Porter.

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