Chewing your way to Health: Liquefy or Die

ATTENTION: Important for Patients with Gut Problems (IBS, Colitis/Crohn’s and Stomach Ulcers)
Did you ever think why hospitals feed their patients intravenously?
It’s because nutrients are only absorbed by your body when in liquid form.

Have you ever left the table feeling tired and bloated? You are not chewing properly!

Chewing is an important, yet oftentimes overlooked, part of healthy digestion.

Most people take big bites, chew a few times and quickly swallow without proper chewing.

The longer you chew, the more your food breaks down, the easier you will digest and absorb essential nutrients.
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Did You Know?
When you don’t chew your food thoroughly it will lead to incomplete digestion.
Large chunks of food will pass into your gut and become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Bacteria overgrowth will lead to bloating, flatulence and constipation.

Poorly chewed food also leaves behind precious nutrients that were not properly released during digestion.
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Digestion Starts in Your Mouth
The digestive process starts in our mouth not in our stomach.

Saliva contains important enzymes, like amylase (carbohydrate digestion) and lipase (fat digestion)that break down the chemical bonds of your food.

The longer you chew, the more your food breaks down, the easier you will digest and absorb the nutrients from your meal.
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How You Eat is as Important as What You Eat.
According to the Art of Eating, “It does not matter whether you eat the best organic food on the market, if you do not chew properly while eating these foods you will not benefit your health and well-being.

Our teeth are made for grinding down food. The more the food is ground down and mixed with saliva, the less digestive energy is needed to absorb it.” (1)
Our bodies spend over 60% of its energy to digest food. Large chunks of food overstress your body, often creating indigestion and fatigue.

Chewing thoroughly is easy, saves energy and improves overall health; it’s a no brainer!
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3 Steps to Healthy Eating:
1.     Take a small bite of food
2.     Chew well, 30-50 times, or until the food liquefies (read why below)
3.     Swallow (duh!)

A good way to tell if your food has been chewed properly is to chew until you can no longer recognize the food by the texture.(2)

If you are chewing a radish and are still able to tell it is a radish by the texture in your mouth, then you need to chew more before you swallowing.

Soft foods like fruits and breads will take less chewing. Tougher foods like nuts and meats will require more chewing.
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Benefits of Chewing Thoroughly:
1.     Less problems with gas, bloating and indigestion

2.     Weight loss for overweight individuals (you will get full faster & eat less)

3.     Weight gain for underweight individuals (you will absorb more nutrients)

4.     More energy and stronger immunity

5.     Improved digestion and assimilation for patients with IBS, IBD, Stomach Ulcers

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Tips During Mealtime:
–  Avoid drinking during meals, this dilutes the digestive enzymes and makes digestion slow and sluggish.  Hydrate 20-30min before or after your meal.
–  Focus on your food, leave the tv, internet and book for after. You will chew more and eat less.
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Unless you’re a competitive eater, slow down and chew your food!
Give yourself the gift of healthy & easy digestion, your body will thank you for it.

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References:

(1) https://showthelove.com/feellove/2009/09/chew-your-food-change-your-lif.html

(2) https://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/chewing-your-food-completely-is-more-important-than-you-think-516011.html