Noisy Eaters ~ Slurping, Chomping & Chewing

I'm big on fixing digestion in my clinic, especially the liver. I guess your wondering how the ears and liver are connected. Well I'll tell you, for most of my life I've been aware that I hate eating sounds more than anything on earth, apart from socializing maybe. Oh and food processing companies...oh and gyms...argh pharmacutical companies as well. Ok it seems like I dislike a lot of things but one of my worst fears is being sat at the dinner table. As a kid I would race to finish or even eat alone before or after everyone else ate. If I did sit at the table I refuse to look up at anyone and would rather be wearing ear plugs. Nowadays you only have to turn on the TV to be confronted by numerous TV chefs or cookery programs in which someone is eating and talking, often spraying crumbs everywhere. Do I want to see food in someones mouth in HD? No. Do I want to hear them chomping while trying to present in glorious stereo? No I don't.

For years I thought I was just weird (I know I am now), hearing tests at work proved I had super sensitive hearing and could pick up the faintest background noises. I missed half of what was taught at school because I was distracted my noises. One of the main reliefs about my asperger's diagnosis was finding out that I am indeed super sensitive to noise. Someone eating with their mouth open is akin to nails scrapping down a blackboard in my ears.

As far as I'm concerned there are rules when eating food or drinking drinks;

• If you want to converse with someone, stop eating. Say it don't spray it.
• Take your time and eat slowly with your mouth closed. Its not a race and nobody will take your food away so savour it rather than hovering it up.
  
• Gum is just pointless especially the ones containing artificial sweetener. Your wearing out your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) for absolutely no benefit. Plus the sound emitted is disgusting.

Eating like it is your last meal with awful smacking and chewing sounds and gasping for breath after taking a drink raises my anxiety badly. With all the food intolerance issues its not uncommon to see people, especially kids with blocked noses breathe through their mouth when they eat.

After speaking with a few people recently it seems like the problem is more common than I imagined and its not just an asperger trait. My wife also isn't keen on people racing to clean their plates, although she probably wouldn't cover her ears or leave the table. 

To all the people I've offended by wearing earphones, earplugs, placing my hands over my ears, leaving the table, facing the other way, or just refusing to eat together. Its not my fault and I can't help it. Stop for a minute and think about the speed you eat, not only will my brain/ears get a break, but you will begin to taste your food, digest it better and maybe even consume less because you realise your satisfied.

Digestion starts in the mouth as your saliva begins the process of breaking down your food alongside your teeth before passing the job onto your bile and HCL. So, if your bolting down food without chewing properly your not allowing your saliva to get involved and start the process. This puts excess strain on the liver as it has to produce extra biochemicals that are necessary for digestion. So, give your digestive system a break (and my ears) and take your time allowing each process to take place. Your health will thank you in