{"id":11664,"date":"2018-02-18T15:25:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T20:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thatorganicmom.com\/?p=11664"},"modified":"2022-07-20T17:09:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T21:09:43","slug":"chew-your-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thatorganicmom.com\/chew-your-food\/","title":{"rendered":"This one mistake can undermine all your healthy eating"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We often talk about mindful eating, about sitting at the table for meals. Those are both vital parts of being a healthy eater. Taking the time to chew your food is a simple way to get the maximum amount of nutrition from the foods you eat. The process of chewing is known as mastication, this is what allows food to begin the journey through your esophagus, through your entire body, until you receive as many nutrients as the food contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chewing your food thoroughly stimulates your digestion before it even arrives in the stomach<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have digestive problems, heartburn, or are prone to overeating, it could be that you don't take enough time to chew your food into smaller pieces. Eating slowly means eating less food and could lead to weight loss because you reach satiety quicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many times should you chew your food?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard the number is 32 times. Horace Fletcher was the person who came up with the number 32 because he suffered from frequent upset stomach and weight gain. Chewing 32 times per bite was his method to relieve his indigestion and experience weight loss. Although it's important to note, Fletcher was not a dietitian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no magic number of times to chew food, so don't worry, you won't have to count while you chew. However, there are health benefits to chewing for a longer amount of time than feels natural! It's important to slow down and chew thoroughly for good digestion. You want to break your food down into smaller particles so that when it arrives in the small intestine, nutrients are ready to be absorbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes without saying that softer foods require less mastication. You'll need to chew veggies like broccoli or asparagus more than watermelon, but the goal is to turn the food into a puree texture inside your mouth before swallowing. Truly, this takes time if you are used to barely chewing your food. The effort will be paid back in your physical wellness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digestive Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your digestive system begins the process when you take that first bite of food. Digesting food allows <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating a healthy diet is one aspect of proper nutrition, but if you cannot digest what you have eaten, then you will not get the nutrients contained in those foods<\/strong>. When you take the time to chew the saliva produced will help your body pre-digest food. Making the mistake of not chewing your food could be a waste of your healthy eating efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is because chewing is considered part of our digestive process and has compelling benefits<\/strong>. When you chew, your mouth produces extra saliva which helps the body's digestive enzymes to do their job. The act of chewing creates smaller food particles and lowers the chance of infections. Large pieces of unchewed food do not get exposed to as much saliva and become more vulnerable to bacteria and fungi in the digestive tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digestive Enzymes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you chew your food, your salivary glands secrete a different type of saliva than when you are not eating. The food you eat contains enzymes, but your saliva also includes three enzymes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n