Gotta Make it Slushy!

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I don't think I ever want to eat again. I'll warn you now, what I'm about to say is not for the weak stomach. It may get graphic. LOL.

So I was doing some research the other day, online, when I came across some sites about chewing your food. This piqued my interest, because I'm guilty of not completely chewing my food before swallowing. I've been told that I may not have a mature palate because I don't taste some of the most intricate flavors in food, but I don't think that my palate isn't mature, it's that I don't take the time to actually chew and taste the food. I don't savor the flavor.

Here's what I learned as I was reading, Mahatma Gandhi said that we should "chew our drink and drink our food." Okay, first off, just the sound of that statement makes me want to gag! I'm starting to feel sick all over again. Ugh! But apparently, chewing your food until it is liquid in your mouth, helps with digestion, and has a bunch of other health benefits.

As I continued to go through the links, I found some that gave instructions on how to chew your food. One woman was hosting an online chew-a-thon and gave a demonstration on how to properly chew your food. She said that you should chew 100 times before swallowing. She told us that when you chew, you should close the back of your throat, so that no food escapes and then let the saliva mix with your food, until the food becomes slush in your mouth. Excuse me. I'll be right back. I gotta go puke...

Then she said that as you continue to chew, the taste should become sweet. I wouldn't know, because I've never gotten to that level of chew before. And at that point, didn't think I wanted to. But after reading 15 or so sites, I decided that I would give it a try since it offers so many health benefits.

So I tried it. And yes, it is as gross as it sounds. And no, I didn't taste the sweetness. I can get to about 40 chews, which is excellent, since most people chew on average 10 times before swallowing. And actually, the experts can't quite agree on the number of times we should chew. Some said 25, others said 35, while others said 50. I think the point is, that you chew until your food is liquid, however many chews that take. Anyway, I've decided that I would just rather drink my meals (drinks that start in liquid form) and will live vicariously through others as they eat. I know that eventually I have to eat, but I'm doing that only when I absolutely, positively have to these days, which of course is when I should be eating anyway. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I know too much about the health benefits to turn back now, so if I'm going to eat, I know I gotta make it slushy.