Module: Chomp Chomp Yum
Chew, Chew, Chew!
Age: All
Subject: Science
Objective: To teach students about the importance of taking their time to
chew their food. This will promote greater enjoyment of meals and help with
portion control.
Materials:
Plain bread or saltine cracker
Instructions:
1. Give each student a piece of plain bread or saltine cracker.
2. Instruct students to take a small bite of the bread or cracker and hold it
on their tongue for one minute. Ask students to write down what happens to
the bread or cracker in their mouth.
3. Then ask students to chew it five times and record the taste of the bread.
Repeat this process until they’ve chewed the bread or cracker well enough to
swallow. Record the total number of times they had to chew the bread before
swallowing.
4. After the experiment, ask students the following questions:
How many times did you chew the bread or cracker before swallowing it?
What did the bread and cracker taste like on your tongue before
chewing?
Did the bread or cracker taste different after chewing? Did it get
sweeter with each chew? And
starting when?
Why do we need to chew our food well?
How long should we chew our food for?
What would you feel if you swallowed your food without chewing?
Additional Information:
The general advice is to chew your food at least 30 times before
swallowing it down.
Through chewing, the grains and complex carbohydrates are being mixed
with enzymes in your saliva and this process releases satisfying sugars
in the mouth.
Thorough chewing allows the nutrients of the carbohydrates to be better
absorbed as it travels to the gastrointestinal tract (this will be
covered in Digestion). Without adequate chewing, you may develop gas,
and feel heavy and dull. Chewing your food well relaxes you, provides
good satiety, and reduces overeating by allowing your body time to help
you realize how much food you actually need.
Related Modules:
I’m a Poo Detective (Rule 1)
Fill Up My Food Tank (Rule 1)