Chewing Your Food Longer Will Improve Your Health
Have you ever have that moment of frustration when you see food items in your fridge going bad, especially if they’re “organic” produce? You paid extra in order to eat well and yet it’s already lost all its health benefits. There are different ways you can express your frustration …
Your gut experiences the same frustration from time to time and gives you a “gut feeling” that something’s not right. Yeah – that piece of broccoli you swallowed in a hurry reached your bowel undigested because you didn’t chew it properly!! The only way your gut can express it’s frustration is by bloating or with painful gas cramps.
1) Chewing longer will help you loose weight.
It takes about 20 minutes to get the message of satisfaction from your stomach to your brain and back to your stomach. So next time your at an All You Can Eat Buffet, remember that by the time start to feel full, your actually on the verge of exploding. According to latest research, you can reduces meal size by 15% just by increasing your chewing time. It slows down your eating, so you eat less before satisfying your hunger.
2) Chewing makes further digestion easier.
Actually, chewing or mastication is the first step of the digestion process. What do you think will happen if you miss the first step when going down stairs? Yeah, the rest of the journey won’t be very enjoyable. Its pretty much true for any other process , so why do we skip chewing – the first step of digestion? Every organ of the digestion system has a specific job that only it can accomplish. Your stomach and intestines do not have teeth, so don’t be surprised if they get upset with non-chewed food – not in they job description!
3) Nutrients from the food will be absorbed better.
Lets assume you are eating whole, nutritious organic food that cost a substantial amount. How much of it you would like your body to use to rebuild and replenish itself? In order to make the nutrients available for use by your body on a cellular level, food needs to be broken down mechanically by gnawing it with your teeth and chemically dissolved it with saliva, those two steps make further digestion and absorption possible.
Nutritionist Lino Stanchich, tells the amazing story of his father who survived Nazi’s concentration camp during WWII. Prisoners received very little food there and were always cold and hungry. Lino Stanchich’s father discovered that chewing his food and even his water many times actually increased his energy. He shared his discovery with two other prisoners and the three of them all felt warmer and more energized after chewing their food an water as much as 150 times before swallowing it. In the end only these three survived.
4) Chewing stimulates production of saliva – elixir of life.
Scientists all over the world have discovered that this watery substance has very important properties for survival. Besides various enzymes and hormones that help with digestion, saliva also contains substances that neutralize toxins in food, strengthen muscles, maintain elasticity of blood vessels and even fight cancer. Saliva contains antimicrobial agents, enzymes, antibodies, growth factors and even an analgesic! How much would you pay for a such miracle drug?
5) Chewing is the only way to enjoy your food !
There are no other taste buds, but in your mouth. Why not take time and enjoy the good food?
People often complain about bloating and stomach discomfort, my first question is almost always “how long do you chew your food?” As a colon hydrotherapist, I often see undigested food coming from the colon – the last part of digestion system. When I see those perfectly good blueberries rolling in the tube without a bite on them, I get frustrated. Especially if I know how health conscious my clients are and how much effort they put into getting good quality organic produce. If you’re not going to chew it, don’t buy it!
