I’m willing to bet that few of you think about how you chew your food. In the US, 70% of people suffer from intestinal discomfort – bloating, heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, gas, and more. Not chewing your food adequately could be the cause.
Chewing begins to break down your food which reduces stress on your esophagus and allows the saliva in your mouth to wet the food. In the saliva are enzymes that start the digestive process. If these do not get a chance to work, the rest of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has to work harder. This is particularly true for fats. If you do not give your saliva enzymes time to begin breaking down fat, you could wind up with indigestion.
Without proper chewing protein foods – eggs, meat, poultry, fish – are not digested totally further down in the GI tract. Chewing also allows you to absorb more nutrients from your food. Studies have shown that people who eat slowly and chew their food completely tend to consume less food overall. Eat slowly. Enjoy every bite.
