Chewing Food Well Boosts Immune System & Helps Digestion

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When people think of digestion they most often think of intestines and their stomach. The truth is that the digestion process actually begins in the mouth.

The process of chewing is an extremely important component of the digestive process. Chewing your food well allows the food to be exposed to your saliva for a longer period of time. Food’s being in contact with saliva is not just important because it helps to lubricate the food, allowing for less stress on your esophagus, but because saliva contains enzymes that contribute to the chemical process of digestion. Carbohydrate digestion begins with enzymes in your saliva breaking down some of the chemical bonds that connect the simple sugars that comprise starches. Also, the first stage of fat digestion begins in your mouth with the secretion of enzymes by glands located under the tongue.

Read on for a list of all the wonderful health benefits to chewing your food thoroughly.

Benefits to chewing your food thoroughly?

1. Aids in the proper transport of nutrients in your body.
2. Helps start the important digestive process which is crucial to being healthy.
3. You are more than likely to not eat as much by chewing thoroughly. When you are eating slower, your brain can tell you that you are full, causing you to eat less.
4. Helps to prevent the heavy feeling that sometimes follows a meal and it also will help you lose body fat since you are not eating as much
5. Chewing food thoroughly helps in developing your appreciation, patience and gratitude
6. It enhances the assimilation process of nutrients
7. Helps in eliminating excess gas and bad breath
8. Reinforces your elimination system
9. Also strengthens your immune system

Side effects of not chewing thoroughly?

1. Poorly digested food means poor absorption of the vitamins and nutrients that the foods you are eating provide.
2. Eating rapidly and swallowing large mouthfuls contributes to the reflux which can damage the lining of the throat and esophagus. About 44% of Americans experience reflux or heartburn at least once a month, 20% have it every week and 7% suffer from it daily.
3. Other side effects include flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, gas, IBS, and other discomforts. Chewing each bit thoroughly allows less air to enter in which decreases gas and burping. With an increasing number of individuals with IBS, constipation, abdominal spasms and bloating, chewing food could possibly prevent a number if these daily discomforts.

For people who have trouble chewing foods, it may be helpful to cut food into small pieces and to allow extra time to chew food at a comfortable, unhurried pace. Another helpful hint would be to put your fork down on your plate after each bite. Chewing thoroughly takes some time to get used to and will be strange at first. Making a conscious effort to start benefiting from chewing will be a start. A lot of people say chew a set number of times before swallowing your foods. Do not worry about counting how many bites you take but just make sure each bite is liquid before you swallow. If you understand the benefits associated with chewing thoroughly, you will start today.

TIPS FOR CHEWING FOOD WELL-VIDEO