What Is Chewing and Spitting?
Quite often we hear from individuals who report that they struggle with chewing and spitting, that is, they chew their food and then spit it out before swallowing. The following information is meant to clarify what can be involved with this disorder (herein referred to as CHSP):
- Food is placed in the mouth where it is tasted, chewed, and then spit out.
- The person avoids consuming the food item, and thus any "perceived" guilt for having enjoyed an item they may have labeled as a "bad" food.
- It is important to realize that CHSP is not a separate eating disorder. It is a behavior that can be manifested by persons with anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS, binge eating disorder and/or any other type of disordered eating.
- CHSP may serve different purposes for each individual.
- Some persons report they practice CHSP throughout the day and lose awareness of their own true hunger and need for food. Most report the practice of CHSP becomes "addictive" and difficult to cease.
- Because the individual avoids consuming the food through normal means of digestion he/she risks suffering from improper nutrition. CHSP behavior can be as physically, emotionally and physiologically negative as severe food restriction and/or binge eating.
What Do I Do Now?
As with all types of disordered eating, we strongly recommend that you seek out counsel from a therapist, doctor, or nutritionist. As noted above, even though CHSP doesn't seem as extreme as some other types of disordered eating, it can have very harmful effects on your physical, intellectual, emotional, relational and even spiritual health. For more information on how to find the help you need, check out videos on this site by typing in keyword "chewing and spitting", and read our article on Finding Treatment.
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