Chew your food for better digestion.....

@lumenmom (1986)
United States
August 2, 2011 1:32pm CST
This is advise that most health professionals give to help breakdown food better before it enters the stomach and makes the rest of the digestion process easier. It sounds like good advice and should be relatively easy to do. Then I started thinking about something. People like me who are addicted to food rerely chew our food well. We gulp it down looking for the next bite. Well if we love to eat so much, why would we not enjoy chewing our food more thoroughly? If eating (and chewing is a very real part of that) then why do we rush to get to the swallow part so fast? Exactly what is it we are enjoying? The chewing, texture and flavor of the food or the feel of it going down our throats? What do you think?
3 people like this
14 responses
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
3 Aug 11
Yes, we should chew our food well before we swallow them. Just wolfing them down into your stomach could give indigestion or colic, because of the air that accompanies it when we do that. I like to savor my food always. So, i chew them well before i swallow them. I once was hurrying in my eating, because i would be late for work. In my haste, i just wolfed down what i was eating. When i arrived at the office, my stomach begins to ache. I had an indigestion and had to run to the comfort room.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
29 Aug 11
That could be why I have so much indigestion. I do have some times when I just nibble a bite here and there, but most of the time it's gobble gobble. I have been reading some Indian remedies lately and they all talk about eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly. I will have to try and do that all the time and see if my digestion gets better.
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
3 Aug 11
It has always been said that digestion starts at the mouth and I do agree with it. By chewing well, we get to savor the flavor more. From what I understand, our saliva also has enzymes that help out in digestion so by chewing well, we get to have such advantage. Though as you have said, you like to swallow right away and enjoy doing so. There those that are like you and there is nothing wrong with such. In my case, I take it slowly, chew a couple of times before swallowing.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
29 Aug 11
Oh I'll chew a couple of times, but problem is doing it more than that.....like maybe 20 or 30 times. I have tried but by then the food tastes gross to me. Maybe I have to look for a happy medium of about 5 to 10 chews.
@AKRao24 (27424)
• India
3 Aug 11
We have got a saying in our family which our father used to say every time we used to sit for having lunch or dinner! He used to say that each bite of the food should be chewed 32 times, one chew for each tooth! Though this statement may seem senseless at the first instance! But if we think carefully we can understand the logic behind it! By chewing each bite for 32 times we are adding a lot of saliva t the food which is the first step of digestion. With saliva many starch products get their digestion the oral cavity itself and the slimy food thus obtained is easily passed down through the foo pipe without causing any trouble like chocking! Further it helps the stomach to digest the food easily! Next I feel we can enjoy our food in a better way if we thoroughly chew it as we can enjoy the taste and the aroma of the food! Thanks !
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
7 Aug 11
It actually makes a lot of sense. So as a family, did you all make that a habit early on? That was really insightful of your father to come up with that rule.
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
2 Sep 12
I have heard about this.. the importance of chewing food well prior to swallowing. It has been said that it aids in the digestion process and perhaps lilmits the possibility of gettiong choke on the food. Sad to note that I am also a kind of person who does not chew much. It migh be because I am in a hurry most of the time during work. But there are also times that I do, give more time in chewing. That is wehn I am at home and savoring a good meal with my family.
• Canada
3 Aug 11
I always try to chew my food completely. That said, Ive noticed that the taste will hit your mouth at the first bite but then its not as much. So thats probably why we just swallow it after as its not as tasty. But I could be wrong and it could be me only with this problem.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
7 Aug 11
I think you are probably right about that, at least with soem foods. Also I don't think I like the mushy texture that comes from thorough chewing. Plus I have had this habit for so long, I end up swallowing before I realize it.
@aimend13 (51)
• United States
2 Aug 11
I totally agree. It's all about eating conciously. I'm no stranger to gulping down food I enjoy. I think a lot of times, people who tend to overeat/eat fast have the same terrible relationship with food that people who undereat do. I think the less emphasis is placed on food, then the more one can enjoy it. If that even makes any sense, haha.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
7 Aug 11
I know my relationship with food is unhealthy, even though I try to eat more healthy foods than I have in the past. I still struggle with cravings and not being able to stop even though I am sure I have had enough. It is as bad an addiction as anything else.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
19 Aug 11
Personally I think a lot of it really depends on the time that you have to eat your food. Are you feeling rushed because you are on Lunch break at School or at work, or are you running behind and just got time to get a quick snack. I would think that if more people could take time to enjoy their food, and eat a decent Home cooked meal over quick fast food they would be a lot healthier, and enjoy the food more as well.
@youless (112497)
• Guangzhou, China
3 Aug 11
It is true that chewing the food is better for the digestion. And perhaps this is why the people who eat slowly are usually thin. I am this type of person. I can't eat the food fast since I will feel unfortable to it. I need to chew the food well and then swallow it. I love China
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
20 Nov 11
I have heard there are a lot of benefits to chewing food slowly. I have heard that affects everything from the way you feel to weight gain. I heard that it takes 5 minutes for the brain to realize that the stomach is full. People often over eat for 5 minutes before they get the full signal. Chewing the food slowly helps. I have a short lunch break so there are times when I know I eat too quickly.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Aug 11
People are in so much of a rush these days in western society that they are not taking sufficient time to enjoy their meals. I know that I have been guilty of this as well in the past. I used to gulp every meal down, trying to get it done and get full quickly so that I could resume life! But we do need to slow down with our eating. Chewing every mouthful until the food is a sloppy mess does help the digestive system to break it down easier. The saliva that is made by all the chewing also aids in this quest. This then helps the body to receive the nutrients from the food easier as well as avoiding blockages in the colon and other digestive tracts. This is why cultures like the French can stay healthy even though they eat lots of unhealthy foods.
• United States
23 Aug 11
I am a slow eater and sometimes too slow, this comes with my nature. There are some who eat very quickly and can't break from the habit of doing so. I do prefer to eat slower as I find that I enjoy my food more that way. If I rush and chew faster somehow I really can't appreciate what I am eating, so I tend to loose interest in my food that way. lol
@xuyxuy (432)
• Philippines
7 Aug 11
I agree to this. Indeed we really need to chew our food well. But most of us are in a rush always and we tend to get things done as soon as possible. Hence, even eating needs to be done right away. Most of us would prefer to eat on fast food since food will be serve faster than any fine dinning restaurant. So is in consuming our food, most of us chew less and would swallow the food to fill the stomach right away, most especially if the stomach is empty or the person is hungry. I guess we need to remind ourselves every now and then to chew food by the time we eat. To take time in chewing it and cherishing the food before swallowing it since digestion takes place inside our mouth and the first action is chewing the food.
@Shankerj (241)
• India
3 Aug 11
We should always chew the food properly, Chewing is good for digestion and we can enjoy the good taste of food for little more time, how ever if food is not so tasty or when in hurry people tend to avoid chewing more.
• Philippines
3 Aug 11
Yes, absolutely. Digestion starts by chewing. The stomach cannot take it all if we just swallow whole slabs of food without chewing it. By chewing we make it easier for the stomach to break down the food. You can also feel the flavors and texture of the food if we chew it producing gastronomic satisfaction.