Aripyanfar wrote:
Hrrrm.
We have a horizontal nerve/tendon bundle on the side of our heads near our temples that hooks up to our jaw muscles. When we chew about 20 times, before swallowing, it activates a signal in our brains, giving us a feeling of satisfaction and fullness. I do know that there is a problem with the large proportion of highly processed foods in the general western diet. Mushy or snack sized food doesn't require a lot of chewing, we can inhale or suck a lot of it down.
Because we don't chew processed food very much, that system doesn't activate, and people can constantly feel really hungry despite eating. That contributes to the overweight/obesity problem, along with other factors.
But as to that, parents need to serve their kids fresh fruit and some raw or al dente cooked vegetables each day, and actual largish pieces of meat that require cutting and chewing during the week, and they need to tell their kids to chew their food well, until it's reduced to a paste in their mouths, before swallowing.
Thorough chewing has the added benefit of mixing food well with saliva, which greatly enhances the digestion of nutrients. I don't know if you really need a gadget to promote good chewing habits, but whatever works, I guess. I certainly wouldn't be sticking this on a kid in front of guests.
Edited, Nov 17th 2008 10:28am by Aripyanfar
Edited, Nov 17th 2008 3:07pm by Aripyanfar
Satiety is a hormonal reflex, not a mechanical one.
The only reasons one should thoroughly chew one's food are:
1) To avoid choking,
2) To make grains and veggies more digestible, and
3) To slow down food intake to the rate of one's metabolism.
It's nearly impossible to digest plant matter that hasn't been thoroughly chewed. Flesh can be digested whole, though a good mashing between the chompers does improve its digestibility slightly by increasing the available surface area.
Edited, Nov 19th 2008 8:26am by Mindel