When it comes to increased health, it’s not just what we eat but how
we eat. Digestion actually begins in the mouth, where contact with our
teeth and digestive enzymes in our saliva break down food. But these
days most of us rush through the whole eating experience, barely
acknowledging what we’re putting in our mouths.
We eat while distracted—working, reading, talking and watching
television—and swallow our food practically whole. On average we chew
each bite only eight times. It’s no wonder that many people have
digestive problems.
Benefits of Chewing Your Food
There are many great reasons to slow down and chew your food. Here are some of them:
- Saliva breaks down food into simple sugars, creating a sweet taste.
The more we chew, the sweeter our food becomes, so we don’t crave those
after-meal sweets. - Chewing reduces digestive distress and improves assimilation,
allowing our bodies to absorb maximum nutrition from each bite of food. - More chewing produces more endorphins, the brain chemicals responsible for creating good feelings.
- It’s also helpful for weight loss, because when we are chewing well, we are more apt to notice when we are full.
- In fact, chewing can promote increased circulation, enhanced
immunity, increased energy and endurance, as well as improve skin health
and stabilize weight. - Taking time with a meal, beginning with chewing, allows for
enjoyment of the whole experience of eating: the smells, flavors and
textures. It helps us to give thanks, to show appreciation for the
abundance in our lives and to develop patience and self-control.
The power of chewing is so great that there are stories of
concentration camp survivors who, when others could not, made it through
with very little food by chewing their meager rations up to 300 times
per bite of food. For most of us 300 chews is a daunting and unrealistic
goal.
However, you can experience the benefits of chewing by increasing
to 30 chews per bite. Try it and see how you feel.
Try eating without the TV, computer, Blackberry, newspaper or noisy
company. Instead, just pay attention to the food and to how you are
breathing and chewing.
This kind of quiet can be disconcerting at first, since we are used
to a steady stream of advertising, news, media, email and demands from
others. But as you create a new habit, you will begin to appreciate
eating without rushing. You have to eat every day—why not learn to savor
and enjoy it?
