Chew Calories Away

Like eating? Does your belly shout it out to the world? Perhaps you forgot what Mom taught you...CHEW YOUR FOOD!

I heard that eating celery will actually cause a deficit in calories because it has so little caloric content, that the very act of eating it costs more calories than you get out of it in digestion. Let's extend this concept to *real* food. (Does anyone really LIKE celery? - bleh!)

I propose that anyone wishing to waste a few calories conscientiously chew the foods s/he eats *extremely* well. I'm talking resembling a cow chewing cud...over and over and over. Take your time and mill that food between your jaws until it's downright liquidy.

Chewing is work. Sure, it may seem as much work as blinking, but the act still consumes calories from your stockpile. Although the benefits of any single instance may seem small, they can add up over time if all other factors remain the same.

Not only will you burn an extra handful of calories at each meal or snack, you will take much longer to eat that same amount, possibly causing you to feel full before eating too much (as many of us tend to do). The timing issue will come into play more when eating with others. Finding yourself halfway through a meal when everyone else is finished may pressure you to stop eating. Your food also gets cold in the time, so it could work when you're alone, too.

Some additional tips to go along with this concept:

• Dehydrate your foods and gnaw at it while sipping water (to regain the fluid portion) to add resistance to the texture of food.

• Chew gum more often for cheap, tiny calorie burns. You will keep your mouth busy while not consuming more than about 5 gum calories per piece. You also won't be eating candy or fatty food if you have gum in your mouth.