5 Things You Can Eat for Oral Heavy Work
Heavy work is a movement that comfortably compresses joints such as elbows, knees, shoulders, and your jaw. When your joints compress your muscles send special signals to your brain. These signals tell your brain where your body parts are in relationship to the other parts of your body. Knowing where your body is, and understanding that when you move your body changes position is important for sensory regulation and for feeling safe and confident in your own body. Increasing heavy work and joint compressions can help people feel calm, focused, and at center.
Using gross motor movement is a great way to get heavy work (pushing, pulling, rolling), but you can also get heavy work in your jaw by consuming foods that are chewy, crunchy. These kinds of foods require more compression of your jaw - releasing proprioceptive signals to your brain, creating a calm and focused response.
Here are 5 things you can eat to get heavy work for your mouth.
Chewy and sweet! These mango slices are a great way to keep your mouth busy and provide some extra input. Look for low sugar options without additives.
If you've never had a ginger chew you're in for a spicy treat! These gin-gins are a gustatory pick-me-up that will improve alertness levels while also providing some heavy chewing work.
3. Carrots
A simple, healthy option - carrots offer a lot of crunch and work for your mouth!
4. Jerky
There are so many jerky options on the market today, low carb, vegan, sulphate free, grass fed - whatever you want! Jerky is a savory way to get that deep input to the jaw.
An old stand-by, gum is a classic way to keep your mouth busy and provide deep oral pressure. I enjoy this natural brand - simply gum that doesn't use plastic, aspartame, or synthetic materials.
What do you use for heavy work for your mouth? Do you think heavy work is effective? Comment below and let me know!
