Chew Your Food!

It sounds so obvious to say that you might think that reading this post would be a complete waste of your time. But the fact of the matter is, the majority of people (yes, probably even you) don't chew their food properly.

When we chew food, the main aim should be to break it up into smaller pieces in order for us to digest it fully. Proper digestion allows us to access all the micro and macro nutrients locked away in our meals.

Did you know that the first phase of digestion actually occurs in your mouth? Chewing food for longer allows the saliva in your mouth to coat a greater surface area of your food. This is important because saliva contains a digestive enzyme called amylase which kicks off the digestive process by breaking down starches into glucose (this is why bread tastes sweet if you hold it in your mouth for a while). 

Once this well-chewed food hits the stomach, hydrochloric acid in the stomach starts breaking food down further in addition to a whole host of other chemicals that target specific carbohydrates, proteins and fats. 

So what happens if you don't chew your food  properly? Well firstly, poor nutritional absorption. If you eat your food in huge chunks, you are simply not going to get all the goodness out of your food. 

Woofing your food down like hungry dog also tends to include a whole lot of air being swallowed at the same time, which is going to want to come out from one end or the other at some point. In addition to this, poorly digested food will ferment in the gut. Gas produced during fermentation blows back up into the oesophagus, taking some stomach acid along with it for the ride. Ever wonder why your getting so much wind, bloating, heartburn and acid reflux?  

IBS sufferers out there, chew your food well. Eat less, but eat more often - see your symptoms improve greatly. 

Overweight? Chew your food well. Allow more time to enjoy your food and feel fuller, sooner. Eating more slowly allows your body the time to produce the satiety hormone, leptin. Leptin signals that you have eaten enough and you can stop eating. Hoovering your food down before your body can signal in such a way could mean that you are consuming far more food than you really need to be.