The main purpose of eating is to consume and absorb the nutrients that body needs to stay healthy. The mouth and chewing is the first step in digestion and it is one of the most critical reasons why we need to chew the food in an appropriate amount of time.
When it comes to the actual act of chewing, the teeth, tongue, and salivary glands all play critical roles that set up the digestive process. The teeth grind down consumed food into more manageable and smaller bites, the salivary glands secrete various enzymes on the food to aid in absorption, and the tongue manipulates the food in the mouth to get it finely chewed before it enters the stomach.
The physical process of chewing food in the mouth helps to break down larger particles of food into smaller pieces, increasing the surface area and making it easier for nutrients to be broken down for absorption. In the mouth chewing increases saliva production. Saliva contains Salivary Amylase / enzymes that begin the process of braking down of carbohydrates and lipase. Saliva helps to liquefied the food and make it easier to swallowed without aggravating the oesophagus.
The process of chewing also triggers the production of hydrochloric acid and more digestive enzymes in the stomach that will help further into digestion. Breaking down food into smaller particles means that it is easier for the body to absorb a greater amount of nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) from the food that we eat. The more we chew the food, the longer it will take to finish the meal. In general it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to signal to the stomach that it is full. Therefore if we are eating slower, it is less
likely that we will over-eat. Chewing the food many times at a slower pace can reduce the overall food intake. If food is not chewed properly, larger food particles that are not properly broken down can cause bacterial overgrowth and increased fermentation in the gut, leading to digestive problems such as indigestion, bloating, increased gas, food reactions, headaches, lowered energy levels, diarrhea, heartburn, acid reflux, cramps and constipation.
Chewing 32 times appears to be an average number applied to most bites of food. Foods that are harder to chew, such as steak and nuts, may require up to 40 chews per mouthful. For foods that are softer such as mashed potato and watermelon you can get away with chewing just 5-10.
To summarize
- The digestion process starts with chewing
- Chew slowly and steadily
- Chewing 32 times
- Chew until your mouthful of food is liquefied or lost all of its texture
- Finish chewing and swallowing completely before taking another bite of food
- Drink 30 minutes before or after you eat, but not with your meal. This increases the efficiency of your digestion.
Add comment
Comments