7 Benefits of Chewing Your Food Thoroughly

Chewing your food thoroughly has many health benefits including better digestion and increased nutrient absorption. It also boosts your metabolism. You’ll feel better and may even lose a little weight. Read about the benefits and a few tips to help you chew better.

Chewing your food thoroughly is the first step to healthy digestion.

The journey of food absorption starts in the mouth. Saliva, which contains enzymes that metabolize your food, breaks down the food even before it reaches your stomach.

Improper chewing results in poor absorption of nutrients and vitamins. Not chewing your food well can result in heartburn and gas. When food isn’t digested properly inflammation occurs which leads to many health problems including allergies.

By increasing the surface area of the food, your saliva and digestive enzymes come into contact with more of the food making it easier for your body to digest and absorb the nutrients. This contributes to better health and weight loss.

Here are a few ways chewing more improves your health and wellbeing:

1. More Energy – by absorbing more nutrients from your food your organs function better.
2. Maintain Your Natural Weight – you’ll feel more satisfied and be less likely to overeat, making it easier to maintain your natural body weight or even lose weight.
3. Easier Digestion – chewing starts digestion in your mouth from saliva. Chewing also stimulates your stomach to produce digestive enzymes making it easier to digest your food.
4. Better Digestion – you’ll have less gas, bloating and reduction in acid reflux.
5. Less Inflammation – when you digest better there is less bacteria lingering in your intestines from undigested food causing inflammation.
6. Less Cravings – Studies show tasting and enjoying your food while chewing regulates hormones like ghrelin, leptin, insulin, cortisol which leads to fewer cravings.
7. Awareness – Chewing encourages you to be present in your body. You enjoy life more and have less anxiety. You are in the parasympathetic system of calm.

How To Chew Better

There is no set number of times to chew your food. Clearly it will be different if you’re eating a strawberry, a salad, or a piece of chicken. But here are some basic guidelines:

• Sit and relax when eating, enjoying the taste, smell, texture and look of your food
• Chew until most or all taste in that bite is gone.
• Chew until original texture of the food is gone—then swallow!
• Finish chewing and swallowing completely before taking another bite of food.
• Wait to drink fluids until you’ve swallowed.
• Enjoy the people you are with. The feeling of appreciation puts you in the parasympathetic nervous system, turning on digestion.