hey, here's a real raw and contentious issue....!
 
  Ok so, there is evidence to suggest that due to the change in our dietary habits making food soft, such as by cooking and refining, our jaws and teeth have become smaller and crowded etc, a condition known as orthotrophy.  More and more succeeding generations are developing this condition throughout the world.
 Personally i think nutrition also plays a major part too, though that is less often argued, but to start with let's consider that a lack of chewing and excercising our teeth and jaws to be at least just as important.

 When i first went raw, i didn't have a blender and my jaws would literally ache after a large bowl of hardcore salad, and on a really hungry day I'd have to stop chewing and rest a bit before carrying on.  It also took a lot of time to do this, time that would be fine if i was out and about picking fruits and foraging for herbs and grazing throughout the day for example.  Don't mistake me, I loved to chew - that sensation of juicy crunchy subtle flavours of Life was what amazed and permanently hooked me during a 3-day rawfood trial.
  So anyway, these days I don't have salads quite like that so often... I'm in a job city lifestyle whatever - like many of us I am allowed short designated periods of the day to have my meals.  Largely in order to comply with this, it helps to have a blender or a food processor to help break some things down -that way I'm not racing my jaws every time I go to sit down for lunch with my workmates. But I try to blend lightly, and always add chopped up fruit and veg to the end mix and so still chew a fair bit...

I'm wondering though, do I still chew enough...?   Will succeeding generations of rawfoodist develop or maintain orthotrophy if they rely heavily on blenders as well? Should we consider and address this issue more, especially once we've settled in and then continue to develop our personal rawfood diet?

   i'm very interested to hear what others think and i'm not sure if it's discussed much in rawfood circles?
 
   
   

Hi Rachan,

I know that Victoria Buchenko (sp?) speaks of a rubber chew 'toy', invented by an Australian dentist, for raw vegans to use.  Have you heard about that?  If not, I believe it was on her website in one of the past newsletters.  Unfortunately, I can't remember which one.

Love
May

I also believe orthtrophy is caused by the fact that many of us do not breastfeed for the appropriate period of time(around 4 years more or less). Breastfeeding is known to be essential for correct jaw development and there are very interesting pictures of jaws and dentitions of breastfed versus bottlefeed infants. I know Weston A Price looked at orthotrophy and I have wondered about the implications of declines in breastfeeding in the cultures he looked at.

I chew everything too, and take forever to eat.  David says he spends half his life waiting for me to eat cos he wolfs his food down.  His sister is worse, and she once tried to give me 'eat fast lessons'.  2 seconds after I put the food in my mouth she'd say 'Swallow. Now.  Swallow!!!'  But I couldn't do it, and I'm glad now I know it's bad.  She absolutely inhales hers.  One minute the food is there, the next it's gone.

Love
May

She's 2 years younger than me, and used to be reed thin and very fit playing championship netball.  Now she's overweight and suffering with high blood pressure which she takes tablets for.  Her downhill slide has begun

The only thing that goes straight through me undigested is sesame seeds.  Even sweet corn leaves no lasting evidence

Love
May

 Interesting, beckyji...it makes sense that nutrition would have such a great impact especially during the early formative years.

 May, i have not heard of this rubber "toy"... it's funny, i was thinking to myself, "jeez maybe this toy is really just for babies or something, surely can't be made for adults...?"  wow, anyone else think it's funny to have a rubber chewing toy for adults or is it just me?    Has anyone got a pic of it?

 I'd be looking for something else to chew on instead of rubber, like maybe even some kind of herbal bark or something.  Though as Neet says, making sure i get a big jaw workout with the veggies for dinner might be the way to go.

 Ivan, thanks for putting orthotrophy into the greater perspective.
    I chew for my soul!