I have been known to inhale my food.  Seriously – I skip all the steps involved in going from the fork to the belly.  I don’t know what happens.  It certainly is not as if I grew up in a situation where food was scarce and I would lose the opportunity to eat without a rush.  And, I KNOW the facts – I KNOW that digestion begins in the mouth, with chewing, and I KNOW that I would feel better most of the time if I slowed down, really, really chewed and used all my senses to take in the meal.  But, I still don’t do it most of the time.

Interestingly enough, chewing and crunching is something that I NEED.  I crave it.  I constantly add items of crunch, such as nuts and seeds, to my meals just to ensure I am able to really bite down and even hear the mouthwatering process.  And, we all know how much I love the crunch of crispy apples, right?  (Almonds and apples, you can’t go wrong!).

I like crunch.  I like big crunchy bites.  I long for big crunch, crispy bites of apples and almonds.
My desire serves as a metaphor for my life: I like to take a big bite out of life. (This was an outside analysis of my personality shared with me years ago).

And perhaps there is more to it than just that:

From a psychophysiologic perspective, chewing and crunching are natural outlets for inborn aggression. 

~Says Marc David of The Institute for the Psychology of Eating

Actually, I don’t believe my need for crunch has anything to do with aggression that I hold inside – I’m pretty peaceful.
But,

In a comparable manner, to be fully nourished by any experience, we must “taste” and “chew” it thoroughly. – 

Now this hits home for me.  I truly believe, THIS is a metaphor for my life.  I long to taste and chew all of my experiences.  My challenge…doing just that.

Marc David shares an amazing perspective on all of this.  It is a must-read.  I encourage you to “taste” and “chew” all that he has to say.

Importance of Chewing | Chewing for Pleasure | PsychologyofEating.com.