Chewing

Did you know …

That chewing your food before swallowing measurably reduces your risk of choking? It’s true!

Now, this is still no guarantee against choking, but scientists have found that if you, say, chew your foot long chili dog at least a few times instead of shunting it down your throat whole (like normal), you might not choke. It’s a refreshing thought that you might be able to someday eat a chili dog without having to call the EMTs, isn’t it?

There’s a caveat to these findings, however: make sure that whatever you decide to chew is softer than your teeth, otherwise chewing will have no effect beyond potentially shattering some molars. So, for example, chewing chili dogs, marshmallows, white bread or liquid water is fine. Chewing quartz, diamond, glass, or basaltic gravel, on the other hand, may land you in some trouble.