Join this simple 28-day chewing challenge and unlock better digestion, enjoy food more, and even experience effortless weight loss!

This powerful self-care practice is surprisingly simple: just chew your food more.

Do you remember someone — a parent, teacher, or grandparent — reminding you to chew your food properly? Turns out, they were absolutely right.

(It’s funny how childhood advice catches up with us at the dinner table.)

It’s amazing that such a small habit can bring such big results. I hope you’ll join me in this fun, gentle but truly effective self-care challenge.

Do you need this chewing challenge?

Wondering if something as simple as chewing could make a real difference to your wellbeing?
Here are some signs it might be worth a try:

• You struggle to control your food portions.
• You’d like to release some weight without completely overhauling your diet.
• You eat quickly and rarely taste your food.
• You often feel too full after eating.
• You experience heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, burping, or gas.
• You have dental or gum issues, or jaw tension.
• You’ve noticed signs of nutritional deficiencies (low iron, B vitamins, magnesium).
• You experience low stomach acid symptoms such as fatigue, indigestion, or undigested food in your stool.

If any of those sound familiar, this challenge might surprise you with how much better you can feel.

(And if your family catches you chewing extra slowly, just tell them you’re conducting very important digestive research.)

Tip: Before you begin, describe and score these areas of your health — then compare again after 28 days to track your progress.

Jump to Recipe

A Bit of History: Being Young at 60 by Horace Fletcher

I have a soft spot for the Old Time Healers — the original self-care pioneers who practiced long before the internet. One of them was Horace Fletcher, who published Fletcherism: What It Is and How I Became Young at 60 back in 1913.

His discovery? That easy weight loss and renewed vitality came simply from chewing your food thoroughly.

Fletcher’s ideas were so popular that even American Presidents, British Prime Ministers, J.H. Kellogg, and King Edward VII reportedly took up “Fletcherism.”

And before you wonder — yes, there’s some modern research to back up this 100-year-old wisdom here, here and here

Why Chewing Matters

Chewing: The First Step in Digestion

When you chew, you signal your stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas that food is coming — “get ready!” This allows your stomach to produce the right amount of hydrochloric acid for digestion.

Chewing Produces More Saliva

Saliva is amazing. It contains enzymes that help break down carbs and fats, binds food together for easier swallowing, and even helps clean your mouth by washing away harmful bacteria.

The Problem With Not Chewing Enough

When food isn’t properly chewed, large particles reach the stomach undigested. This causes bacteria to ferment the food, leading to bloating, gas, and indigestion.

On top of that, the stomach doesn’t get the full “digest now” signal, meaning less acid is produced — and that means less nutrient absorption.

Whew! Your body truly is incredible when you let it do its job.

Eating Less (and Enjoying More)

Chewing slows you down.
When you eat more slowly, your body has time to send signals to your brain saying, I’m full!

Many of us eat while scrolling, working, or watching TV (guilty as charged), and before we know it — we’re uncomfortably full.

Mindless eating also robs us of enjoyment. Chewing more brings you back into the moment. You taste your food, you feel satisfied, and your portions naturally shrink.

And when you slow down and truly taste what you’re eating, that second biscuit might not seem so tempting.

What do you think? Worth exploring?

How to Do the 28-Day Chewing Challenge

In my clinic, I found that chewing every single mouthful until liquid was too much for most people. It’s ideal — but not always realistic.

So instead, here’s a gentler, more doable approach that still delivers real results.

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The 28-Day Chewing Challenge Plan

1. Assess your health and digestion before you begin.
2. Chew the first mouthful of every meal until liquid.
3. Pause and focus: What does it taste like? How does it feel?
4. Track your progress daily (it really helps!).
5. Invite friends to join you — self-care is better together.

Then, each week, build on your habit:

• Week 1: Chew the first mouthful of every meal.
• Week 2: Chew the first two mouthfuls.
• Week 3: Chew the first three mouthfuls.
• Week 4: Chew the first four mouthfuls.

That’s it — simple, mindful, and easy to remember.

You might want to set a reminder so you don’t forget, especially in the early days.

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Chewing Challenge Tips

• Start small — focus on just the first mouthful if that’s all you can manage.
• Take smaller bites to make chewing easier.
• Don’t take another bite or sip until you’ve swallowed.
• Sit in a calm environment.
• Avoid eating when stressed, angry, or sad.

After 28 days

Time to compare your before-and-after scores.

• Did you eat less?
• Bloat less?
• Slow down and actually enjoy your meals more?

Reflect on what changed — and what made the challenge difficult.

If you didn’t notice much difference, that’s okay! You can always repeat the challenge or move on to another self-care focus.

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Conclusion

Congratulations on completing your 28-Day Chewing Challenge!
You’ve taken one of the simplest — and most surprisingly powerful — steps toward better digestion, more mindful eating, and improved overall wellbeing.

At first, it might have felt strange to slow down and actually notice each bite (especially if you had an audience at the dinner table), but those moments of awareness are where real change begins.

Keep going — because the longer you practice, the more natural it feels, and the greater your results will be.
Many people also find that as they chew more mindfully, their portion sizes naturally adjust, appetite feels calmer, and weight begins to rebalance — all without effort or restriction.

Over time, chewing well becomes less of a challenge and more of a quiet ritual — one that helps you savour food, support your body, and enjoy every meal just a little more.

“It turns out your grandmother was right — good things really do come to those who chew.”

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Take the First Step…

We’ve all done it — promised ourselves we’d start that new healthy habit “tomorrow,” and felt oddly proud of the plan… until tomorrow never comes.

The truth is, self-care doesn’t need a perfect day — just a small, curious step today.
Your body learns from action, not intention.

The Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit helps you turn what you’ve learned into action — so your self-care finally becomes real, simple, and yours.

Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit

Turn inspiration into action — with a simple system that helps self-care finally work with your body, not against it.

If you’ve been reading along and thinking, “I’d love to try this myself one day…” — you don’t have to wait, or wonder where to start.

The Free Self-Care Start-Up Toolkit gives you the gentle structure to make your first challenge easy, personal, and effective.
It’s the same step-by-step approach I use when following the challenges alongside you — so you’ll feel supported every step of the way.

Inside, you’ll find:
🌿 A gentle Before Assessment to pinpoint what your body truly needs — so you can stop guessing and start seeing real results
🌿 Step-by-step guidance (plus short video walkthroughs) to choose the right self-care challenge for your needs — and actually complete it.
🌿 Printable planners, reflections, and trackers to help you stay consistent
🌿 Access to our private community (coming soon!) — for gentle accountability and encouragement

You’ll also receive:
💌 Weekly self-care reminders, new challenges, and encouragement in the Make Self-Care Simple newsletter
🪴 Access to our free private community — where women share progress, celebrate wins, and remind each other we’re not alone

👉 Send Me My Free Toolkit
(Part of the Practical Self-Care Pathway — build habits that support your body’s natural balance.)

Real self-care is about listening to yourself.
Because being healthy isn’t always easy — but it can be made simple.

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Make Self Care Simple shares general self-care education for inspiration only. I’m not providing medical advice — always check what’s right for you with a qualified health professional.

©2025 Make Self Care Simple.

Save or Print a handy ‘summary’ of this challenge in the ‘Recipe’ below.