Question

Cindi from Pennsylvania asks: My 8 year old son eats so fast. My husband and I try to get him to slow down using some of your suggestions. My question is, will he have problems with his stomach from eating too fast? Is there anything negative that can happen to the body if you are a fast eater?

Answer

Many kids eat too fast and somehow they seem to have an iron stomach, unless they swallow too much air and get gas. You would think it would hurt their stomachs because fast eaters often do not chew their food well so larger pieces are swallowed. The stomach does an amazing job of digesting the food, even when it is not thoroughly chewed. The hazard in fast eating with kids is usually choking, not stomachaches. Fast eaters are often not careful when they swallow and the larger pieces can more easily lodge in the windpipe. Slowing down any fast eater is a challenge. A good start is to make a game out of trying to see how many times you can chew before you swallow. It will slow them down during the game and build awareness that they may need to slow down and chew before swallowing. Dr. Irene