Why "Chew To Liquid" is Absurd
I've been trying to avoid this one for a while now, but I have read or heard this quote a couple of times this past week, so I thought I needed to address this topic.
Most of the time I know where "Lap-Band® Guidelines" come from since Lap-Band® surgery is the focus of my practice, but I have no idea where this "rule" came from. I'm not sure if it was started by a well-intentioned patient, a misinformed dietitian, a part-time surgeon, a cruel jokester, or what. Other than possibly reinforcing the notion of eating slowly, "Chew to Liquid" is absurd because:
1) You would have to chew all day long in order to really get something from solid to liquid form, wouldn't you? That's what cows have to do. They chew, swallow, regurgitate, and repeat--all day long. And all they eat is grass; they don't have to deal with Aunt Polly's dry pork chop. But we are not designed like cows - we don't have extra stomachs and ginormous teeth. I, like you, also have a busy day, and I can't take all day to chew.
2) If you take a big bite of something solid, I don't care if you chew it a thousand times. When you swallow it, you will most likely swallow a big blob (granted now a well-chewed blob) of something formerly solid.
3) "Don't drink your calories"--everybody has heard this rule at some point, I'm sure, and I think it is a very good rule. You shouldn't add empty calories to your day by drinking sugary drinks, sodas, etc... But if you chew your food to liquid, aren't you technically drinking your calories? Now granted, the time effort required to chew something to liquid form ensures that you will not be able to consume a lot of these "liquid" calories, but isn't it wrong to put a pork chop or chicken or a snickers bar (or whatever else) into a blender and puree it to ensure that you are able to consume these foods? How is chewing to liquid any different from using a blender? Some patients want their bands so tight that this is the only way they can eat. I think that is just wrong. Consuming solids helps us feel full, and it's a lot more satisfying.
4) I don't know about you, but the thought of "chew to liquid" is just disgusting.
5) Here is the real point against "Chew to Liquid"--The Lap-Band® is designed to sustain you after a small meal of nutritious food of solid form. The idea of Chew to Liquid totally goes against this. Banded patients should actually eat foods that "give them trouble" or "make them feel full" rather than "go down easy" or "slide right through." This is because the former means they are eating food that actually sits in their pouch. It's a "reverse" concept than what is thought--where you think you should eat things that go down easy, but you should really be eating things that sit a little longer.
So if you find yourself dipping the "chicken in gravy" or the "beef in sauce" or "everything gets stuck except...", ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. You might actually be too tight.
Eat real food. Eat a variety of foods. Be happy.
Best of Luck,
Dr. V
If you would like to learn more, you can order my new book
Ultimate LAP-BAND® Success: The Support Surgeon's Guide to Getting the Most From Your Gastric Band by following this link
www.morefrommyband.com/resources, or
www.amazon.com
I agree, you shouldn't drink your calories. I eat solids and chew them way more than I used to, this allows me to savor the food and so it doesn't get stuck, and we all know thats no fun! 
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