Chewing Skills and Picky Eating

Did you know that how you chew could impact how adventurous you are with food??

Efficient chewing requires the tongue to move all the way back in the mouth and to the side in order to get the food to the back teeth and keep it there while chewing in a circular motion.

👉This ensures that the food is ground up well enough to properly and comfortablly swallow and digest.

👉It also helps us manage and control the food to ensure an easy and safe swallow, creating a positive and pleasant experience 😊

Heres what happens when we chew in an up and down (vs circular) motion with limited tongue involvement.

👉Food is scattered all over the mouth and starts moving towards the back of the mouth before its ready to be swallowed,

👉Discoordinated swallow (coughing or needing to clear throat afterwards)

👉 Fatigue from overuse of the jaw muscle

👉 Sometimes negative associattions/aversions can develop from the food feeling unsafe, uncomfortable, effortful or unpleasant since it's not well chewed. (Think about food that requires a lot of chewing like 🥩)

Now you try it! Take a bite and only move your jaw up and down to chew. Don't move your tongue to the side at all and see what happens!

If you know someone dealing with a limited diet or picky eating, have their oral motor skills been assessed??

Let me know in the comments!

As always, feel free to reach out for support!

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