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Excessive chewing of food - 11yo
My 11 year old son has recently become a very slow eater. Today, after observing him for a while, I notice he chews each bite over 30 times. When I asked him about this, he said that cows chew about 52 times before swallowing. My response was, "you are not a cow". He used to have a very healthy appetite. Since birth, he always had a good appetite, loved food even. He would say the only food he doesn't like is plastic food. He still eats well, no pickiness, but it takes him up to an hour to eat. We don't serve him large portions, in fact, we have started serving him smaller portions than in the past.
I am wondering if this could be an issue with his throat. Could there be something physically causing this? He did say it is easier to swallow the food when he chews it that much. He also said ice cream and shaved ice he can eat fast. So that made me thing it was a physical issue with his throat. He does have asthma and allergies, but both are very well managed. He only uses his allergy meds when he needs to, and his asthma is controlled with his Flovent inhaler. He only uses his albuterol inhaler when he needs to, which is not often, usually only prior to physical activity such as playing sports.
Other than the food issue, he is a typical 11 year old...kinda. He is a gifted child; he will be in 8th grade in the fall and taking all highly capable classes. I know from my dealings with my daughter (who is also a gifted child, 14 years old), anxiety goes hand-in-hand with the children that bright. I worry that he may be developing behaviors associated with an anxiety disorder. My daughter has an anxiety disorder, as do I. I know it can be hereditary, so it really concerns me.
Am I reading too much into this? I have a 17 year old son who never had any issue with eating, nor did my daughter. Do other boys this age have this "obsession" with chewing their food so much?
I am wondering if this could be an issue with his throat. Could there be something physically causing this? He did say it is easier to swallow the food when he chews it that much. He also said ice cream and shaved ice he can eat fast. So that made me thing it was a physical issue with his throat. He does have asthma and allergies, but both are very well managed. He only uses his allergy meds when he needs to, and his asthma is controlled with his Flovent inhaler. He only uses his albuterol inhaler when he needs to, which is not often, usually only prior to physical activity such as playing sports.
Other than the food issue, he is a typical 11 year old...kinda. He is a gifted child; he will be in 8th grade in the fall and taking all highly capable classes. I know from my dealings with my daughter (who is also a gifted child, 14 years old), anxiety goes hand-in-hand with the children that bright. I worry that he may be developing behaviors associated with an anxiety disorder. My daughter has an anxiety disorder, as do I. I know it can be hereditary, so it really concerns me.
Am I reading too much into this? I have a 17 year old son who never had any issue with eating, nor did my daughter. Do other boys this age have this "obsession" with chewing their food so much?
Lastly. Google how many times should I chew my food. I found one that said 32x and also another that said chew until your food becomes a paste. I wish we were allowed to post links. Check it out it's very interesting.
From studies and in school. The proper way to eat is eat slowly and chew your food well it's easier on your digestive system. He may have learned in science about the way different animals chew. As a human 20 to 30 chews is actually healthy. I wouldn't worry it will pass or maybe encourage this behavior. It's healthy.
Some kids try to get calm by orally soothing themselves. Chewing on things is one way to do it. Could be an impulse related to that. Is your child nervous about anything? Anything new going on?
How did issue get resolved, or did it? My 11 yo daughter recently started chewing her food excessively for no apparent reason. I'm trying to find information about this behavior, but I am not finding much. I would appreciate hearing more about your experience.
My opinion is yes you are making too much of it does it matter how many times he chews , dont look , a lot of people eat slowly especially if there is no hurry, so back off allow him his own way of eating,it .Possibly your anxiety is making you feel over protective ,we do worry about our children but I dont see this as a concern ...good luck
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