Do you experience bloating, digestive issues, constipation, diarrhea, and/or just don’t feel right after a meal? Did you know how important chewing is in your digestive process and how it could help heal your gut?
In order for us to have proper digestion, we have to be in a parasympathetic state; think rest and digest. If we are in a fight or flight mode, for example, our blood flow is moving away from our digestive system.
Rather watch or listen than read?
Chewing is one of the things that actually helps calm the nervous system. That is one important aspect of why we want to chew our food very well before digesting it. The saliva that is produced in the salivary glands produces digestive enzymes, and these enzymes help break down the food in the mouth, and as it moves into the esophagus.
The first enzyme is called lingual lipase which helps break down our fats. The second is amylase which helps break down our starches. And the third is called lysozyme, which is an antibacterial enzyme. This is important for preventing dental cavities and other infections in the gums.
The more chewing that we do, the more salivary enzymes are released. This influences not only our autonomic nervous system because we need these specific cranial nerves for chewing and swallowing, but it’s also influencing the enteric nervous system, which is our gut. That is, in fact, its own nervous system.
So when this is happening, we’re getting an increase in smooth muscle contraction, intestinal secretions, the release of some of these enteric hormones, and dilation of blood vessels. It is very powerful when we begin the process of chewing thoroughly.
5 Things You Can Do To Maximize Chewing
What are five different things you can do to maximize your chewing, and digestive process?
1) Breathe
Before you sit down to eat, try taking at least three diaphragmatic breaths. You want to think of calming your nervous system, bringing blood flow to this area, and bringing yourself to this parasympathetic state so that you can enhance your digestive process.
2) Allow for at Least 30 Minutes of Meal Time
Give yourself plenty of time to be able to sit down, eat your meal, and enjoy the experience rather than rushing your meal. This will also prevent you from overeating because you’re giving your body enough time to tell the brain that you are full.
3) Non-judgement
This is a mindfulness practice, but it’s also important for digestion. When we’re judging ourselves, our food, and the environment, unfortunately, we are typically not totally present, and we’re not being mindful of our food. That often takes us out of that parasympathetic state. So, encouraging a positive eating experience lends itself to optimal digestion.
4) Avoid Water Before Meals
Drinking water before meals can dilute the stomach acids, so it optimizes our natural enzymatic activity.
5) Chew 20-30 Times
Chew your food at least 20 to 30 times. In our Ayurvedic medicine, chewing at least 30 times has been extremely beneficial.
If you’re thinking about healing your gut, start with chewing your food.
Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.
For more content, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
Other things that may interest you:
Is your anxiety or depression coming from your gut?
Why You Shouldn’t R.I.C.E
THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLAGEN | What does the research say?
Habit of not chewing food thoroughly is a bad habit that affects overall health and reduces the quality of the dish. People who do not chew food thoroughly have a higher risk of experiencing gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis or food poisoning. Food that is not chewed well does not bring out their inherent delicious taste.
Poor chewing is a habit that needs to be eliminated soon, because it can bring about the following disadvantages: 1.1 Digestive disorders Food in general and foods rich in carbs in particular need to be digested thoroughly. Digestion begins in the mouth, where food is mixed with saliva and broken down into smaller pieces. When not chewed properly, food down to the stomach is still large, making it difficult for the digestive process here. Diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, constipation, and disordered bowel habits are also at high risk of appearing. 1.2 Limit absorption of nutrients Food is the main source of energy and nutrient content for the body. Sufficient and healthy nutrition will help form a good health, ensuring daily learning and working needs. As mentioned above, the act of chewing when putting food in the mouth is the beginning of the digestive process. Inadequate chewing affects the breakdown of food for a subsequent digestive process. Nutrients that are not metabolized to the end will only be partially absorbed. People who have the habit of not chewing food thoroughly will gradually face the risk of nutritional deficiencies. 1.3 Increased risk of food poisoning Food poisoning is more likely to occur if food is not digested well. Food poisoning agents need to come into contact with enzymes present in saliva. Poor chewing limits enzyme secretion in the oral cavity and reduces the ability to eliminate these pathogens. In addition, when not chewing well, the body is also prone to other problems such as abdominal pain, intestinal inflammation. 1.4 Easy to gain weight Most people chew food carelessly. Studies have confirmed that fast eaters tend to weigh more than slow eaters. People who do not chew food well often have a habit of eating quickly, leading to eating more than necessary. In addition, when you eat too quickly, the hormone that makes you feel full is secreted in the intestines and can't send signals to the brain. So the brain does not order to stop eating in time, an excess of calories continues to be added. This is what causes weight gain, even at an uncontrollable level.
Nhai không kỹ khiến bạn dễ tăng cân hơn bình thường
1.5 Creates Stress An unhealthy eating habit such as poor chewing affects not only physical health but also harmful psychological effects. Digestion does not take place smoothly in people who do not chew food thoroughly, leaving them always in a state of bloating, indigestion. At that time, the body is very susceptible to stress and often feels uncomfortable.
The habit of thoroughly chewing food can bring many benefits that many people don't think of, including:
Helps in weight loss: Mahatma Gandhi once said - Chew your drink and drink your food. He says that because, it has been scientifically proven the benefits of chewing food properly. Chewing food for long periods helps with weight loss as this allows the brain more time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full. Your stomach takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to signal that it's full. The slower you chew, the less you eat. Absorb more nutrients from food: The process of chewing food helps to break down the large particles of food into smaller ones. This makes it easier for nutrients to be absorbed through the intestines. When you chew food properly, a lot of saliva is secreted that contains digestive enzymes. Chewing food properly also releases digestive enzymes in the stomach that help break down food for the body to convert into energy. When you don't chew your food thoroughly, these enzymes can't break down the food properly, leading to sluggishness and loss of energy. Research from the Institute of Food Technology has shown that, when participants chewed almonds for longer, the particles were finer and more quickly absorbed by the body. Reduces a lot of health problems: Chewing food properly helps prevent improperly digested food from entering the bloodstream causing many health hazards. If food isn't chewed properly, food may remain undigested as it passes through your stomach to your intestines, which can lead to an overgrowth of bacteria in the intestines, which in turn leads to bloating. and, constipation, abdominal pain, cramps and other digestive problems. Chewing well is a good exercise for teeth: Chewing is a very good exercise for teeth, helping to strengthen teeth. Saliva, produced while chewing, helps clean food particles from the mouth and washes away bacteria, which can reduce the chance of tooth decay.
Nhai kỹ thức ăn có lợi cho sức khỏe của bạn hơn việc nhai không kỹ
Mindful eating helps to bring more enjoyment to eating food: Eating fast doesn't let you fully enjoy the food leading to a feeling of loss of appetite. Mindful eating is about experiencing food more consciously, and chewing plays an important role in doing that. Along with a sense of satisfaction, you get all the nutrients from your food when you chew it properly. In short, chewing food poorly is an unhealthy habit, so you should change and learn to eat slowly, chew thoroughly to get the most benefits. In case if you have maintained the habit of chewing food poorly for a while, there is a high chance that your digestive system will be more or less affected. In this case, you should go to the hospital for a general health check to get specific advice from a specialist doctor. General health check-up package - Vinmec International General Hospital is applicable to all audiences and customer ages. The overall examination will help the doctor detect abnormal signs in health so that timely intervention and adjustment can be made.
Để đặt lịch khám tại viện, Quý khách vui lòng bấm số HOTLINE hoặc đặt lịch trực tiếp TẠI ĐÂY. Tải và đặt lịch khám tự động trên ứng dụng MyVinmec để được giảm ngay 20% phí khám khi đặt hẹn khám lần đầu trên toàn hệ thống Vinmec (áp dụng từ 1/8 - 31/12/2022). Quý khách cũng có thể quản lý, theo dõi lịch và đặt hẹn tư vấn từ xa qua video với các bác sĩ Vinmec mọi lúc mọi nơi ngay trên ứng dụng.
XEM THÊM: