Chewing enough

[oneesotericgirl]

I was trying to look online but unsuccessfully. I have not seen a doctor because it's not serious but I was reading the MWL book again and got to the chapter about chewing every bite 30+ times. I have heard this advice many many times.
However, I have a huge problem with this.
After maybe 6-10 chews of something I have to swallow it. If I chew something as much as suggested I will gag and if I don't spit out what is in my mouth immediately, I will vomit.
I do not have a strong gag reflex. I can brush the back of of tongue without gagging. But mushy food rolling around in my mouth? Nope.
This also causes issue with the MWL guidelines because food without distinct texture is not enjoyable to me. I miss crunchy/crispy things. Casserole, lasagna, beans mixed with rice, large sandwiches, anything with mostly soft texture makes me gag. And things like celery or carrots occasionally slightly meet the crunchy craving, but mostly not.
I try to eat enough on MWL but I am often hungry because I have to stop eating whatever I made, due to gagging.
Yesterday I had to stop because I made asparagus and quinoa. I didn't cut enough of the bottom of the asparagus off so it was extra chewy and fibrous, causing me excessive chewing. After the second or third bite of that, I gagged and had to stop eating it.
I may have a small, insignificant issue with swallowing, like pills. It's gotten a lil worse over the years. I used to be able to swallow like 4 pills at once, now it's only one and sometimes it's a lil difficult. My grandma had dysphagia. But I don't feel like that's related exactly. Maybe it is?

Am I the only one? Anyone get passed or around this?

[VeggieSue]

I think that was just an experiment, he calls it (Page 50), for people new to the food plan to get you to slow down and notice how much more filling WFPB foods are when you slow down and chew your food, that you might be satisfied with less food than you used to eat. He even says to do this for a couple of days, not all the time.

There's really no guideline that says to chew each bite 30 times each and every time you sit down for a meal. How in the world would we chew something like soup 30 times? Impossible!

[pundit999]

I would not worry too much about chewing every bite 30 times.
It is better to chew your food well but I am not sure how much difference it makes.

For greens chewing is especially useful because the nitrate formation starts with the saliva but i am not sure if the same thing is true for other foods.

I think consuming whole plants only is the main thing.
Everything else is a bonus and not really a must.

[MINNIE]

I agree with the previous answers. What you put in your mouth is more important than how many times you chew it:).

Don't make things harder for yourself than they need to be - one beauty of this way of eating is its simplicity. We don't have to count calories, or how many times we chew.

Re the food texture, I noticed it at first but then my taste/texture preferences changed. I have completely lost interest in the crispness that I used to get with fried foods. It didn't take long. I now like the natural textures of the food I eat and don't bother with trying to replicate the mouth feel of fried food. If you have discomfort chewing or swallowing,taking smaller bites can help.

I was always an "eat in a hurry, bolt your food" kind of eater. Learning to slow down and enjoy a meal was good for my digestion and for my taste buds.